We’re just going to riff a bit today. Yes, there are bullet points. No, this is not being written by AI.

  • I’ve had some medical and mental health struggles the last few weeks which is why I haven’t been posting as much. Lots of stuff to catch up on. Right now the goal is three blog posts per week, one YouTube video/podcast, and work on a DTRPG project.
  • I have more ideas for projects than I know what to do with. I started the year with an ambitious list. I now have ambitions for about the next three years with just Dragonbane. When Twilight Sword and Ruttigers Almanac drop there will probably be even more.
  • A couple of prominent names in the DungeonTube sphere have pointed to the fact that there are too many TTRPGs on the market now. I used to think there was no such thing until I started looking at my own PDF library. I actually have the equivalent of a pile of shame of things I want to read/play around with. Wow.
  • Is there a glut on the TTRPG market right now? Is there room for more new games? The interesting part is that most of the games we’re seeing now on DriveThruRPG dwarf the product on the shelf at most Friendly Local Game Stores. Tales of the Valiant, Pathfinder 2E Core Electric Boogaloo, Daggerheart, Stormlight Archives/Cosmere, Shadowdark, Call of Cthulhu, and Draw Steel get most of the attention IRL where out here in the digital space, those games tend to get buried in a sea of indie titles.
  • At what point does a game go from being indie to being a franchise? When do games stop being indie and start becoming corporate? Eclectic Goat has been discussing this on her channel and on X(Twitter.) It’s been interesting. Personally I believe all of the titles I listed in the previous point have fallen off the indie wagon. When your crowdfunding goes over a million dollars, you’re no longer indie.
  • I’ve still got a mecha/space game on my far back burner, but I don’t think now is the time to introduce such a project. Right now I barely have the spoons to post an update or a short article. I also don’t think the market is going to be right for a sci-fi game for another year or two. I’m waiting for the latest massive wave of fantasy games to pass over.
  • Dungeons & Dragons 5.5E (fka D&D5E.2024) still maintains its status at the top of the pile even though a lot of us older guys still look at Wizards of the Coast with shame and dissapointment. Even their latest Public Relations moves still sound hollow if they can’t back it up with real, actionable results. This new Greyhawk will be the acid test. If Luke Gygax can keep the project from going off the rails into sensitivity readers’ suggestons and being overwritten by Makenzie DeArmas or Jason Tondro, maybe there’s hope. Otherwise, it’s just WotC being WotC again and screw that noise. I have my Third Ed Greyhawk books and they’re just fine.
  • I don’t want to talk politics here. I’ve never been this ashamed of my government. If this country doesn’t change, we might not have a country as we recognize it for much longer. I’d rather think about TTRPGs, anime, and shlocky horror movies.
  • I’m still baffled as to how some DungeonTubers can fart out a dozen videos and hit 3K subscribers in like a month and I’m still where I am a year and a half in. I honestly feel like I’ve missed something in all the dozens of how-to-YouTube videos I’ve watched. I’ll be damned if I’m going to buy a course or a coach, though. That’s tomorrow’s project is to put together something on YT. I keep taking breaks out of sheer discouragement.
  • The negative climate on YouTube amongst certain YouTubers is crazy to me. I won’t call anyone out specifically, but holy crap the feuding is getting out of hand amongst half a dozen people again. I know a couple of people who get called out regularly in all of the drama and I’m doing my best to steer clear of it.
  • Time to tap the sign again: Kindness and understanding go a lot further than bitterness and blame. Don’t be a douche canoe toward people and you’ll probably find a seat at most gaming tables. If you’re just stirring the poop, people are going to look away eventually.
  • I feel like I didn’t get enough superhero content out last month, so I want to dip a toe into it with Amazing April.I love having monthly themes. Arcane April is also on the menu this year with Dragonbane: Book of Magic.

That’s all I have time for today. Time to go pick up the youngins and make dinner. I’m planning to be back tomorrow or Saturday with Arcane April or Amazing April content.

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!