Dark Sun, YouTube, and Moving Forward.
It’s been a crazy week in the midst of a crazy month in the world of Jeff’s Game Box. Dark Sun is blowing up on X (Twitter.) YouTube announced monetization changes prompting all kinds of excitement here at my house. Finally, I’ve had to make some tough choices on where to go from here with the blog, my Dragonbane offerings, and YouTube. Why can’t anything ever just be simple?
The Wizards of the Coast Dungeons & Dragons Blunder of the Week—Dark Sun Remake.
This topic has exploded on X(Twitter) and all over YouTube not once, but twice this month. First WotC announced they were remaking the classic hardcore, gritty, edgy AD&D setting of Dark Sun. Then the idiots dropped an article talking about how they’re going to literally strip anything icky or scary from the setting but still putting a “mature” label on it.
Let me get this straight. They are using the likes of that hack Makenzie DeArmas to write the thing, then pushing it through sensitivity readers, then the “Community Council of 12,” and then put a mature label on it anyway? Are you freakin kidding? What is left for them to write back into the setting? Thri-Kreen sex? They’re going full Baldur’s Gate Dating Sim?
Dark Sun made me cringe a little when it first came out, sure. Cannibalism, slavery, starvation, thirst, post-apocalyptic, low magic, no metal, genocidal, disturbing stuff was in that book. I played a Thri-Kreen as my first character. Then I made a Mul (Half Dwarf.) It was pretty far out for its time. The game was made to be brutal as Hell. Good times. We played the heck out of it.
I don’t need to say I think WotC just should have left it the Hell alone. That’s all. I hope it rots off the shelf at whatever price. I still have my old boxes and books. I still have all the 4E books. I can always convert to Dragonbane, Ruttigers, or even a weird adaptation to Twilight Sword. If people want to run whatever Makenzie and the 12 stooges want to sell, cool. I ain’t touching anything labeled 5.5E.
YouTube is a changing again.
August 10th YouTube announced the YouTube Partner Program will be changing to much harsher requirements as of February 1st, 2027. In order to qualify for AdSense Monetization a channel will have to have 1,000 Subscribers and 8,000 qualified watch hours. My only thought was, “Man, ain’t no way that’s happening.”
Normal folk have a full-time job to fall back on. I have my SSDI which the government threatens to take away or cut on a regular basis and could be taken away completely if the judge says so. I have this here blog, my meager DriveThruRPG offerings, and YouTube. Here’s the fun part—only DTRPG is making anything, and not even enough to mention on my taxes at that.
Now, we were a long way from monetization of any kind. At 170 subs and about 140 watch hours last I checked; it’s not happening. That’s only a year and a half in just to get those numbers. But there might be a light at the end of the tunnel.
See, my big mouth may have finally paid off. I’ve been contacted behind the scenes by not one, not two, but three different YouTube experts. Now, old readers of the blog know I’m psycho about confidentiality so I can’t say who it is unless they authorize it. Just trust me when I say we’re in good hands right now. I’m learning lots about YouTube! Now if my wife and kids would just go back to work or school…
What I’m working on going forward.
I have reviews coming for Twilight Sword and the Dragonbane: Book of Magic. Then I’m looking at Arkand: City of Waves and Flames along with Mecha vs Kaiju. Twilight Sword is slow going because the Created At Twilight license has not been released yet. That’s the open license that will allow me to make awesome 8-Bit coolness in TTRPG form. Reviews will be on here and on YouTube, possibly at the same time if I can pull it off.
YouTube scripts for the reviews, a couple of In the Box Podcasts, and a new Late Night TTRPG Sound Byte are in the works. Just need to get that one thing so I can record. (Peace and quiet.) My titles, thumbnails and hooks are all changing and I might possibly be in front of the camera more. (No promises.)
Finally, my magic item book for Dragonbane is coming along very slowly. It would already be up on DTRPG by now, but I stopped to bring everything in line with the Book of Magic. So I basically started over.
If I didn’t care, I’d be done by now. It’s okay, I only have a list of about 30+ project ideas stacking up behind it. I still come up with more ideas for things we could do every day. Imagine how freakin awesome it will be someday when I have a staff? (LoA, living in the dream fulfilled.)
I find it amazing…
That Wizards of the Coast has all of this staff of numbskulls available to them and yet they continue to screw up old properties. I find it offensive. Screw Star Wars and World of Warcraft. They should be pumping out new content for new campaign settings and new worlds every freakin month. I mean, my first order as head of WotC would start with you’re productive or you’re out the door. I hate seeing people get fired, but WotC needs to start weeding out the ones who aren’t doing them any good. I can think of 14 people that should be kicked to the curb and asked not to return.
Which then circles back to why I celebrate Freedom Day every month. I can’t believe I escaped the McCorporate world of convenience store hell nightmare over five years ago. I know what it’s like getting canned from a steady job. I miss the paycheck, but not the bullshit. It did wonders for my outlook on life, too.
My new outlook on life.
This blog especially and a lot of other things are (supposed to be) geared towards positivity above all things. I try to be upbeat whenever possible. I’ve noticed that has slipped a bit as of late. I’m going to be working on getting back into that groove.
See, once upon a time I was a very bitter, cynical, skeptical, and (if you can believe it) much more sarcastic dude than I am today. I’m not exactly sure how I survived those years, but we’ll take it. There’s only so much stress one can put oneself through before the body begins to break down. Mine broke down and being stressed out constantly contributed to the malfunctions.
Now I try not to stress. Sure, I might go on the occasional tear about some silly thing on the Internet. Sometimes I have to remind myself of the silver lining in the darker clouds. It’s not easy sometimes. And I also still watch for toxic positivity to go with the negativity. I want to do better.
I wouldn’t go back to the old way of doing things no matter what the paycheck. Which is fine because no matter what I would go back to, my body, emotional state, and mental health are a major consideration. (See also my body is falling apart and I’m still batshit crazy.) So it’s a good thing I’m here with you like this nowadays. Trust me when I say, “The public can’t handle me, and that’s okay.”
That’s all for now. Come back next month when I’m sure we’ll have all new TTRPG and YouTube shenanigans to talk about. Keep an eye peeled for more content on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and a loose article on the weekend once in a while.
I say it every year, but I think 2026 bears repeating it. This year I intend to write more, read more, and discuss cool TTRPGs as well as supplements. Most of all, let’s just have more fun. Let’s explore. Let’s save the kingdom from the evil warlord. Let’s discuss all the fun stuff in gaming that we love.
With the world in the state it finds itself in today, please be kind. Please be considerate to one another even if we don’t agree. Lastly, please pursue the thing that brings you the most joy without harm to others. Thank you!
Jeff's Game Box 