So this post should have happened last month, but things have been exceedingly harrowing on my end. At any rate: welcome, welcome. I’m glad you’re here.
First off, I’d like to thank you all for signing up for my Substack. I’ve tried a whole lot of different platforms for my content and game updates, but - from what I can see so far, at any rate - this one might become my final form. I will still maintain my Ko-Fi, and hang on to my Patreon account in case it becomes useful in the future, but admittedly, long form posts on a website with a lot of friendly features might suit me best.
Some of you have been with me for a long time, but in case algorithms and whatnot prevented you from hearing the news: as of September 2022, I migrated to Burlington, Ontario - all the way in Canada. This is a huge life change for me, and I’m still getting used to things. Sin and I are not together yet, unfortunately: within the next 1-3 years, I’m going to petition them as my partner. Suffice to say, I miss them and my cats every day.
I also have a day job now, so I no longer work as a full-time freelancer in ttrpgs. I’m the Executive Director of Dames Making Games, which is a pretty cool non-profit organization for marginalized creators in the Canadian video games industry. The hope is that I can focus better on my own projects and collaborations instead of commissions. It’s… not quite there yet, but it HAS only been a few months.
Let me tackle some basic questions before I get updates.
What Do You Plan On Doing With Your Substack?
Old Articles & Discussions
I’ve done lots of threads, articles, and discussions on Medium and on Twitter. During the first great exodus from Twitter, I attempted to archive my posts on Tumblr. That was a bandaid solution. As part of my content for Substack subscribers, I will be reformatting them and linking them again slowly here. Of course, once things slow down a little for me again, I’ll work to produce new content in this direction too.
New Articles With Your Input?
On that note, throughout the years folks have approached me with, “Hey I would love it if you could weigh in on…”, or “I want to know more about this topic, could you tell me all about it?”
So. Subscribers, paid and free, can reach out to me on specific topics that they’d like me to do a post about. Substack will become my space to post them on. Be it game design, Global South, freelancing, community things, games and other media, cultural analysis, media critique… suggest whatever, and we’ll see what I can do.
Will There Be Exclusive Paid Content?
Short of any truly lifechanging event happening to me again, in that I will need to find multiple streams of revenue to support me, I fully intend my Subtack content to be free to read for everybody. Folks who choose to pay for my content will thus be doing it in the spirit of supporting me as a creator rather than hoping to unlock content just for them.
State of the Godkillingway Monthly Posts
These will be general updates on all the stuff I am working on: commissions I can talk about, planned collaborations, stuff I have been on/volunteered for, status reports on my projects. My primary social media platforms in Twitter, Mastodon, and the like will be for shorthand things. The eventual plan is that I’ll completely fuck off those platforms, and use them to drop links - provided that they even work, anyway.
This will, of course, include progress shots and game design notes. Ko-Fi used to be my repository for them, but I’m hoping to push my Ko-Fi more towards becoming a donation box than anything else.
Another important thing I’d like to add to these monthly posts are spotlights on friends and colleagues doing cool things too. So: whenever you’ve got something, reach out to me via email, Twitter (provided that it is still alive), and Discord! I’ll see what I can do for you.
With that out of the way…
Major Updates
Crowfunding is Scary
Sin and I are dying a little inside as we push Navathem’s End around on Kickstarter. We’re achingly close, yet also very far away, from our main funding goal. The project is all or nothing as per this posting, at 160 backers!
Here is the link if you haven’t backed us already. We are in dire need of support, and signal boosts beyond our immediate spheres of influence.
State of the Dagger Isles Supplement
I’ve gotten some queries on and off about this one: the document is still in layout and edits before we can release it for public playtests. Everyone at Evil Hat has been lovely, and we’re all waiting with bated breath for things to get finalized!
Big Bad Con Online 2023
Big Bad Con is doing its online run by the end of this month. I’m going to be on the following panels:
A Richer Tapestry: Global Worldbuilding
Pam Punzalan, Basheer Ghouse, Kandi Williams, Viditya Voleti, Indrani Ganguly
What does truly diverse worldbuilding look like? How can you incorporate real-life cultures within your game world… and do it in a sensitive manner? Join these creators as they share their insight into how they incorporate their cultures in their game design.
Build A World With Us!
Meg Baker, Pam Punzalan, Takuma Okada
Worldbuilding, from quick prep for a one-shot to creating a massive cohesive world spanning ages, can be tricky! Where to start? How to make it feel real? What to nail down and what to leave open-ended?? How do you do worldbuilding for a ttrpg without planning storylines in advance?! Ack! In this workshop, we'll tackle all that together. Join Meguey Baker, Takuma Okada, and Pam Punzalan for a world-building sprint. Bring your questions, passions, and "maybe sorta like this?" ideas for what a world could be, and let's see what we can make!
Beyond Kings & Castles in Fantasy Worldbuilding
Erin Roberts, Kelly Tran, Pam Punzalan
Taverns. Bandits. The City Guard. Fantasy, like all genres, is filled with worldbuilding and storytelling tropes, many of which have become go-tos when creating new TTRPG settings and adventures. But these familiar storytelling elements are far from your game’s only options. This panel will discuss the approaches, challenges, and possibilities that come from bringing less predominant story and world elements to TTRPGs – including a few practical tips on how to incorporate new inspirations, backdrops, and themes into your writing and your table.
Toss Your Dice, Not Your Controller: Adapting Your Favorite Video Game to TTRPGs
Pam Punzalan, Liana MacKenzie, Adira Slattery, Waks Saavedra, Collette Quach
There are common threads between tabletop roleplaying game design and video game design, and there's no better way to explore them but to try and adapt a video game as a ttrpg. Join Pam Punzalan in this panel as she talks about turning video games into tabletop RPGs. She'll talk method, theory, themes, storytelling, and some practical advice she's developed through her own process.
I’m Going to GDC 2023, by the way.
If you’re going, please help this scared cat out. I would love to hang, network, and attend stuff in familiar company.
Some Final Fightin’ Words
I’m going to stay on top of Substack folks as much as Substack folks try to stay in touch with me, so: if you have recommendations for people I can subscribe to, send them right over! Yes, absolutely send your own pages to me.
That’s the wrap for now. I had hoped to do more than such a basic rundown of things for my first post, but if there’s anything I keep having to learn every Q1 of the year, it’s that shit rarely goes as planned for me. But: survive, outlive, outlast, and all that fancy jazz.
Cheers!