Almost a Year

It is the end of the year, or near enough, so you know what that means... Every website you have given your email to is sending you a year end note. Some will come with a coupon to order something. Some will let you know that time is running out to donate.

I want to thank you.

When I started this thing in the spring, I wasn't sure where it was going to lead me. I hadn't actively published in years. It wasn't clear if there was an audience for my particular combination of weird writing, art, and gaming. Putting your work out into the world can be scary, and the internet sucks these days for anyone not trying to tap into the personality driven consumer culture that venture capital has foisted upon us.

So thank you for subscribing, be it free or paid. Thank you for engaging and sharing with others. Thank you again for sticking with me after I moved from Substack to Ghost. I appreciate you all and I am really excited for the next year of writing and art I get to share with you.

Announcing your plans is a way to hear god laugh.
~ Al Swearengen

I am going to ignore Al's advice and share what I have planned thus far for this space going into next year. I am sure things will change. I am sure deadlines I set myself will pass. I am sure I will change my mind on some things or just not have the time.

I am sure I don't care, so here is the list.

The Trevor Project

My family and I had been discussing what to do with my meager profits from my creative endeavors. I have a career outside this work, and so the profits are probably best served going to a worthy cause. We decided that The Trevor Project would be our 2025 beneficiary. At the end of the year, to maximize donation matching, all my net profits will be sent to them. I will be adding a running total starting in January to all my posts.

A Little Book of Horrors

This past year I started this newsletter writing short fiction and creating stats for the Torchbearer RPG for my monsters. I put that on pause for a bit, but in 2025 I am going to return to the monsters. This time to rewrite the fiction and publish the collection as a book, including new art and the Torchbearer stat blocks. Expect to see the working drafts of those rewrites as a regular part of my posting here.

Testament, Parts Three, Four, and Five

Testament is the sun at the center of my creative universe. I have three more pieces to collect, edit, add to, and lay out for publication this year. Lots of material to continue to share here as the year progresses. If you are interested in parts one and two, you can learn all about them on my books page.

My Game Tastes & Reviews

I didn't get a chance to complete these in 2024, so will do so in the first half of the year. They have been a lot of fun to write up, but there are only sixteen in the planned series. So in 2025 I am going to pivot after the last game taste post and publish semi-regular reviews of gaming materials.

Actual Play Reports

I have two Torchbearer games going right now. One is with friends via Roll20 set in Lankhmar and the other with my teenagers set in Ravenloft. Historically I have been terrible at keeping up with these, but not for any particularly good reason. In 2025, I am going to try to keep on top of it as we play.

Sanctum of the Serpent Vaults

Progress continues on my part of Death by Dungeon, a level 7-8 dungeon in Thog's mega dungeon madness. The first issue with the level 1-3 OD&D dungeon is out now for free. I will continue to post my progress here over the coming months. I am near the bottom of the dungeon, so have a little bit of runway.

Yggdrasil MGZ, Volume Two

Below the break at the bottom of this post is the unedited draft of volume one, issue four, which should mail out in January to my paid subscribers. That said, I have big plans for volume two of Yggdrasil MGZ. More classes, monsters, new rules, fiction, and a continued exploration of my creative world through the lens of the Torchbearer RPG.

So those are the plans for this newsletter in 2025. I am sure that there will be changes and more things I decide to add to the mix. I know I want to do more videos and playing with a few other multimedia ideas. It is an exciting time creatively for me.

Thank you once again for your support!