Deviants and Blackbirds and Westerns!
October's Pugsteady Update!
Hey all! Autumn is finally coming, and I can’t wait for things to be cool enough to wear sweaters and hoodies. But while I’m curling up with a nice cup of tea, we just have enough time for this month’s Pugsteady News!
Hobbies vs. Content
As I’ve struggled with the difficulties of quarantining, I’ve been forced to confront something I’ve been avoiding for a long time. As a creative professional, I’ve successfully turned many of my creative outlets into salable content, but it’s led to an issue where any creative outlet feels like it needs to be monetized in some way. So, for a lot of 2021 I’ve been trying to find a new creative hobby. And I think I’ve found it: building models.
It started because a tattoo artist friend of mine is also into model trains, and while I’m not into trains, the depth of work he goes into is interesting to me (and he has a great YouTube channel, although he focuses on illustration). I wanted to find something equivalent, and it’s been a hodgepodge of 3d printed models, as well as fandom models like Gundam robots and starships.
As a creative, it’s important to remember why you do this professionally, and for me that means doing creative stuff just because it’s creative. I enjoy working with my hands — sanding, cutting, painting, gluing — because it’s different from my day-to-day work, which is often more social and cerebral. It helps me recharge, so I can stay excited and engaged in the daily work. So if anyone has any suggestions for cool models to build, let me know!
News Roundup!
It’s a good thing I’ve found a way to stay recharged, because there’s a lot to talk about this month!
First, Deviant: The Renegades is out! I wrote the fiction for this, and I’m so glad it’s finally in the world. It’s a game about people who were changed and want revenge for what was done to them — a darker, more horrifying take on the superhero myth. It’s something really new for the Chronicles of Darkness, and well worth a look — in fact, I recently talked about it with the developer on the Onyx Pathcast!
Next, just in time for Halloween, Haunted West is out in PDF! I consulted on this book, which is a Weird West game set after the American Civil War. Chris Spivey and his team did a ton of additional research to reflect a more accurate, more inclusive background for America in the late 19th century. At 800 pages it’s a massive treasure trove of Western ideas, and I highly encourage you to pick it up!
Also, the Blackbirds RPG is up on Kickstarter for eleven more days! I helped with the rules for this dark and gritty fantasy RPG. It’s based on the game ZWEIHÄNDER (which isn’t needed to play), but it has some fun card-based mechanics that I really dig. If you’re looking for a mud-and-sword fantasy game with a lot of mechanical depth, definitely swing by the Kickstarter!
Moving on to my appearances, I was recently on the RPG R&D podcast! I came on to talk to Craig and Jess about helping players not to focus on mechanics, and how to make better character sheets. It was a fun conversation, and I encourage you to check it out!
Finally, in upcoming appearances, I’ll be on five panels for Save Against Fear! Every day from Thursday until Sunday I’ll be appearing to talk about various topics, so you can either find the schedule at the website, or subscribe to the Bodhana Twitch channel this weekend!
My Media
As I mentioned last month, I moved on to listening to the podcast The People v. Gundam Wing, and so I’ve been really enjoying Gundam Wing. It’s not a good show, but it is compelling. However, my itch for sci-fi politics wasn’t quite scratched by it, so I also started watching The Expanse after several friends recommended it to me. And while I’ve only seen the first season, I really like it! The parallels between the two are interesting, too: both involve post-Earth space colonies fighting against Earth’s attempt to control them, using new and dangerous technology that has unforeseen consequences, and featuring a disparate team of individuals who have dramatic tension between themselves. In the US, Gundam Wing is on Hulu, and The Expanse is on Amazon Prime.
I’m still working my way through my mystery game backlog. I really enjoyed The Shapeshifting Detective, which was a full-motion video game made a few years ago. It’s not perfect, but it’s fun and over-the-top in the ways the original FMV games from the 90s tried for. I’m also playing Get In The Car, Loser! which is a queer road trip/JRPG that doesn’t quite deconstruct “traditional” JRPG plotlines, but comes close.
I also picked up Rebel Fire on sale, which is the first in a series of YA books by Andrew Lane featuring a teenage Sherlock Holmes. I’m still early on in the book, but I do like Andrew Lane’s work, so I’m excited for more!
And with that, my mug of tea is empty, so I should head back to work. See you next month!
