In the Not Too Distant Future....
April's Pugsteady Update!
Hey all! Normally I try to offer some slice-of-life musings at the start, but this month I wanted to dive right into one of my announcements, because it ties into some things I’ve been thinking about.
Balancing Excitement and Caution
Last month, Onyx Path announced that it was an advertising partner with the new season of Mystery Science Theatre 3000! They’re even shooting commercials featuring a game I’ve worked on (specifically, They Came From Beneath The Sea!). And as a fan of MST3K since the 90s, it was an incredibly exciting moment.
I’ve worked on licensed properties for over two decades now (my first was for the Red Dwarf Roleplaying Game in 2002, if you’re curious), and while the thrill is muted, it’s never entirely gone away. Just recently I got to work on the Transformers Roleplaying Game, which is a property I’ve wanted to write on my entire life. And I remember the excitement I had for getting to write for one of my favorite games at the time, Vampire: The Masquerade.
But being a fan of something can make it hard to write for. Many fans (myself included) tend to slide to two extremes: preserve everything in a precious jewel box of continuity, or fix all the problems ever. When in truth, it’s best to strive for a middle path: fix things that get in the way of making the product the best it can be, but make sure you preserve the key elements that make the property distinct and beloved.
So in a way, a partnership like this where I get to see my work inside something I love but I’m not directly writing on it, is ideal: I don’t have to stress out about the details, and can just enjoy the excitement of the announcement and gleefully anticipate what’s coming next. And really, that’s something I’m trying to carry forward into 2022 as a whole: enjoy what’s in front of me, instead of obsessing over the details.
It’s a challenge, certainly, but I’m continuing to work on it.
News Roundup!
In the spirit of enjoying what’s in front of me, let’s look at some cool things that happened recently!
Speaking of They Came From…, the They Came From the Cyclops’s Cave and They Came From [CLASSIFIED] Double Feature Kickstarter is about to wrap up! It’s funded, but we’re trying to unlock some fun stretch goals, so if you are interested in epic fantasy, classic spy movies, or both, you can back right now to get one or both books hot off the press once they’re done!
Lunch and Crunch episodes two (subsystems) and three (genre emulation) are on YouTube! These were live experiences, so you get them complete with preroll and audio problems, as well as talking to the chat, but the goal for these was always to have fun, casual conversations. I’m still doing them every other Tuesday at noon on the Onyx Path Twitch channel, so if you’re around some week, come hang out!
I’m not only on Twitch, but also podcasting! I appeared again on RPG R&D, this time to talk about the one-hour adventuring day and designer time management. Give it a listen!
I’ve updated my appearance page! I’m slowly getting back into the rhythm of convention appearances. This month I’ll be in Raleigh, NC at the East Coast Game Conference, and next month I’ll be here in Atlanta at MomoCon. I also have some online convention appearances lined up, so stay tuned!
My Media
I finally got around to reading Zoo City by Lauren Beukes, which is a cool noir/urban fantasy mashup based in an alternate version of Johannesburg. I’ve been trying to read more books featuring protagonists of color, and this was recommended to me a few times. I really enjoyed it! It has some issues, mainly around a few things that weren’t adequately explained about how the world worked — I thought maybe this was the first book in a series and more would come later to explain things, but it’s a stand-alone book. Still, it oozes flavor and characterization, so well worth a read.
Somewhat related to They Came From [CLASSIFIED], I’ve been reading the manga Spy x Family on the Shonen Jump website. It’s a story about a spy who needs to infiltrate a prestigious academy, so he adapts a daughter, who turns out to be psychic. Needing a wife as cover, he ends up working with an assassin to help with his cover. None of the characters tell any of the other characters about their secrets, leading to an interesting balance of intrigue and humor. I suspect the concept will fall apart, but I’m enjoying the ride while I can.
That’s it for this month. See you in May!