Where the heck did November go?

Kitten Update: We found our little black floof beans under our deck a month ago. Both kittens are growing so fast. They’re hitting their curiosity and exploration phase. We have to be very careful, or they run all over the house playing with each other and having encounters with our three older cats. So far they’re all mostly getting along. They’re going to go get vaccinated for Rabies/Distemper and snipped soon. Cone of shame pictures when I have them.

In other news.

It’s been a bit overwhelming for me mentally and emotionally this month. It’s November. Go figure. At least I’m not attempting a writing challenge this month. I’d hate to think how that would have gone. Seasonal Affective Disorder is real.

I’m still swamped with TTRPG reviews needing done. It’s not that I’ve forgotten anyone. If you’re waiting on a review, I will get to it eventually. Please be patient. I’m trying to get YouTube videos made on top of written reviews for them.

TTRPG news, or significant lack thereof for once.

The good news is we don’t seem to be mired in controversy or angry discourse over anything in the TTRPG hobby right now. I still have an ongoing beef with a DungeonTuber or two that will be getting aired out shortly. Nothing too serious, though. Otherwise, the Wizards of the Coast shenanigans have been minimal. Their new Forgotten Realms books came out and… will be forgotten come December when WotC decides to focus on their “next big release.”

On the other hand, we’ve had a steady stream of upcoming BackerKit and Kickstarter news involving Trudvang and Twilight Sword RPG. The Twilight Sword TTJRPG dropped with a resounding success. Free League Publishing and 2 Little Mice are just knocking it out of the park right now with their new stuff.

I’m in awe of the productivity shown by my friends at 2 Little Mice and Top Notch International. Outgunned Adventure, Superheroes, and Outgunned itself are incredibly solid games and 2 Little Mice also have Household and soon Twilight Sword. Top Notch International are renowned for Gates of Krystalia, another TTJRPG that uses a unique playing card system instead of traditional gaming dice. I still find it amazing that Italian game designers seem to have as good of a grasp on TTJRPGs as the Japanese creators do.

My own projects.

Aside from my worldbuilding and solo campaign efforts which have stalled a bit as of late, I’m putting together another quest pack for Dragonbane. This one again comes from my Dragonbane campaign with the Gentlemen. A wise old Mountain Troll is in need of companions and some assistance as she doesn’t get around quite as well as she used to. She also has a pile of loot and magic knowledge that puts some dragons to shame. Plenty of custom monsters and NPCs with this one make it my most detailed quest line yet.

The OG GM and I have been discussing his superhero game, Vigilantes for Shadowdark. He’s working on a revised version tentatively titled Superheroes for Shadowdark. However, a recent review of some of OG’s games by the Eclectic Goat on YouTube has left him questioning his choice of systems and he may be revising the whole thing again. I’m still trying to get all the way through this video. Confession: I struggle to get all the way through 2+ hour podcasts. Short attention span syndrome. I’ve been doing some reading here and there trying to offer up suggestions when I can.

I’m also looking forward to Outgunned Superheroes RPG from 2 Little Mice. I’m rebuilding my universe yet again to do it as a street level kind of B-Listers in a cinematic style world. It’s also in line with OG’s game so I can experiment with those mechanics as well. I’m normally a very 4-color Avengers or Justice League kind of GM (ICONS.) I like big supervillain threats as much as possible, which is a different style of game than street level heroes.

As a big fan of modern action games such as Spycraft, Covert Ops, or Ninjas & Superspies, I’m also getting into Outgunned and Outgunned Adventure. I’m doing my best not to let all these side projects detract from my fantasy efforts, but they’re a fun little diversion on the days when my brain is mush from the Dragonbane efforts and I want to chill and write spy or paramilitary ops stuff.

The sad irony is I want to be making YouTube videos kinda off the cuff like I did last year, but the minute I get all the interruptions out of the house, it’s time to go pick up a kid from school or throw a crock pot together for dinner. It’s always something, like I said.

I’m so glad I didn’t attempt NaNoWriMo this year. Although I’m still debating about NaRoPlaDeMo in January or something. (Wink.) But that’s also GMuary. I don’t know. OG and I have been talking about designing your own game vs using something with an OGL. It’s not difficult to design a game so much as it is time consuming. Working a bigger project like designing a game A-Z means letting a lot of other things go by the wayside for the month, just like one would approach writing a novel.

Yes, I know what day it is.

Normally I drop these slice-of-life updates on the 19th. Unfortunately, I’ve been busy with family, fatigue, and the Twilight Sword promotion. (Tell me you love Final Fantasy and Zelda without telling me you love Final Fantasy and Zelda.) Honestly, time got away from me this week. I also didn’t get a Friday Feature or Fuzzy out. I am working on several things in the background, like I said.

Tomorrow is Monday Monster day. I was recently reminded of one of my favorite Dungeons & Dragons entries which, of course, is going to be adapted to Dragonbane. I’m also working on some supervillains for the superheroes game, and at least one evil tear-or-isht bad guy organization for Outgunned. (Kinda nervous about saying that one word because I know I’m already on DHS’s radar.)

Whether you’re at a convention or just chilling, I hope your weekend was a good one and I hope this holiday week is a good one for you if you’re in the USA. Please be grateful. Be kind. Be considerate on Friday. Please look out for one another in this time when so many moral and ethical values are getting pushed

Thank you for being here with me today. I appreciate you. Keep it real, but please strive for positivity, too. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy in your life.