Merry Apocalypse!
December's Pugsteady Update!
Hey all! 2021 seemed to be about ten minutes long, as we’re already to December! Before I figure out how this whole “vacation” thing works, I have just enough time to talk about this month’s Pugsteady News!
Conventions, Again
After a couple of years, I’ve reached the point where I need to consider travel again. Conventions are a significant part of my job — in 2019, I travelled to eight conventions all told — and while I don’t miss the stress and exhaustion of travel, I do miss the social aspect of seeing old friends and making news ones.
I also miss the business opportunities and game exploration. There are lots of ways to grow your network and expand your gaming horizons if you don’t go to conventions, certainly, but there’s something organic about bumping into someone that ends up being a potential client, or walking the show room floor and seeing a new game you’ve never heard of before.
I’m nervous about travel, certainly. I’m going to the Midwinter Gaming Convention in January, and using that to ease back into things. But I’m already talking to folks about attending shows in 2022. So if you’ve ever wanted to meet me in (socially distant) person, 2022 looks like it’ll be the year to do that!
News Roundup!
And if you want to catch up on what I’m doing so you have a conversation starter for when we meet, here are a few things to consider!
The big one is, of course, our post-apocalyptic cyberpunk/LitRPG Trinity Continuum: Anima. The Kickstarter for Anima is live right now, and it’s close to 200% funded! The whole team is really excited about what’s been put together — it’s such a distinctive blend of old-school cyberpunk and video game aesthetic in a tabletop RPG.
As part of the Anima Kickstarter, I wrote and produced three videos for it. They’re all short, so check them out!
I also appeared on the Extra Credits Twitch to talk about design bleed! The video is only up for a short time, so check it out while you can!
Speaking of talking with people, I also got interviewed by my dear friend Rich Dansky as part of his “Five for Writing” series.
My Media
On the video game side, I’ve been playing a lot of Yakuza. It’s a series of games that are one part open-world brawler, and one part outlandish crime drama. I’m not great at brawlers, but the story is so much fun that I push through it on Easy just so I can see more.
On the reading side, there was a sale on Comixology for a lot of Marvel Epic Collections, which are a collection of digitally restored comics from the 20th century that are compiled into a 500-page book. I have bought a lot of them, and I’m particularly enjoying both the original Conan the Barbarian comic and the Mark Gruenwald run on Captain America.
And with that, I’m off to get some more work done, so I have time to enjoy the holidays (including my birthday, which is inconveniently placed on December 24th). See everyone in the new year!
