It's fair to say that I am happy to see the back of March. I'd like to be able to describe it as a rollercoaster of a month but a heart breaking train wreck would be more accurate. So I did the sensible thing and gave myself permission to just step back, stop and focus on myself.
And you know what? It has helped. I'm not going to pretend that I'm heading into April revitalised and full of energy because I'm nowhere close to that. I am, however, finding creative work relaxing for the first time in too long, which also confirms that skipping ZineQuest this year was the Right Choice.
Despite all of the downs March also had its upsides so I've got a number of items to share.
Geek Native Creator Spotlight
First up I had the pleasure of being selected for a creator spotlight by the patrons of the Geek Native website. It was a pleasure to chat with Andrew and you can find the interview here. It includes a special 25% off Etsy discount that is active until the end of April so please check it and the rest of the Geek Native site out.
New Release - Vers le Silence
It's here! Vers le Silence is the official French translation of not one but two of my games (Signal to Noise and Rock Hoppers) and look at how beautiful it is. This new edition includes a series of short stories inspired by play throughs of the games, similar to the replays found in Japanese RPGs and I just wish I knew enough French to read them. I want to say a massive congratulations to Jean-Laurent and the rest of the team at Didaskalie and to say thank you to them for taking a chance on my games.
Vers le Silence can be purchased from Hello Asso and you can find Didaskalie on Facebook.
Design Diary - The Wor/l/ds We Leave Behind
Creativity rarely flows in a straight line, which is why I've spent much of my creative time over the last couple of months writing a game that wasn't even on my radar at the start of the year. The Wor/l/ds We Leave Behind is a duet RPG inspired by the phenomenal novella This is How You Lose the Time War and adapts the card mechanics from Signal to Noise. It places two players on opposite sides of a fight for reality as they interact with one another and attempt to reshape events to favour their faction. Through their actions and letters they will build an emotional rapport and come to know one another despite, or because of, their differences.
I'm still working on the game (with a current focus on testing the core mechanics) but I'm really excited to be able to share an initial draft. It's rough but functional and I'd appreciate any thoughts, comments or feedback. Just keep in mind that the majority of the text will be entirely rewritten / expanded as the game develops.
I have yet to decide what my goal for this game is and how, or even if, I formally publish it. I set out to satisfy a creative itch after rereading the novella and never expected it to develop into to the point is now at. You can expect to hear more about my plans for it in the coming months.
Preview The Wor/l/ds We Leave Behind here.
The Wrap Up
That's it for this month. As we've just crossed from one tax year to another I'm off to do a quick check of my accounts before I inevitably put off paying the tax on them until December. I'll be posting a proper write up on the blog but the quick numbers make it clear that this has been my best year to date - my 2023/24 gaming income was ~£5,700 with a profit of ~£1600. Those aren’t massive numbers but given my primary goal for the company is to cover my publishing and convention expenses making any sort of profit is always a bonus and will help cover my growing convention attendance this coming year.
Speaking of which - I’ll be working on the UK Tabletop Industry Network stand at UK Games Expo. I’ll be on the stand on the Sunday morning so please come by, say hello and pick up some games.
Stay safe,
Craig