It’s September, which means two things. First, Autumn, my favourite time of year, has arrived. Well in typical fashion in the time since I drafted this newsletter the weather here in the UK has decided it’s about time for a mini-heatwave so maybe I’d be better off saying Long Live the Summer! It seems appropriate that as the nights begin to draw in I’ve started an ad-hoc, drop in game of Call of Cthulhu at a local gaming store, so maybe this is the year I finally run a Halloween themed game.
Secondly, we skipped over an August newsletter. Why? Because I was on holiday and um, forgot to schedule anything.
Oops.
So here, have some photos of ruins! I took these at Arbroath Abbey and Dunnottar Castle while visiting the east coast of Scotland. I’m not a great photographer but I couldn’t help but think about how they might be used for a gaming project. Given I’m snowed under with projects right now I figure hey, why not share them and see if anyone else can make use of them!
Design Diary
While publishing is only a hobby for me I’ve found myself frustrated that my progress on pretty much every project has been slower than I’d have liked this year. It’s an arbitrary, self inflicted and silly metric but it also meant that it felt really good to release a major update to The Dusk Bringers at the end of July.
The Dusk Bringers is an adventure I originally wrote for D&D 5e and then adapted to Brighthammer by Christina Stone-Bush. This latest update makes it 100% system agnostic, leaving it up to the reader to apply stats to the world. A large part of this update was adding an entirely new layout using the fantastic Classic Explorers template by Clayton Notestine.
While it is still very much a work in progress (I have plans to add 2 more small chapters plus connective tissue), it showcases my hands off approach to adventure design - provide goals and situations, not solutions. Fingers crossed I’ll have a small print run ready in time for Dragonmeet.
The WIP digital edition of The Dusk Bringers is PWYW over on itch, so please check it out and let me know what you think! While you’re there make sure to take a look at the other submissions to the Classic Explorers Jam, which was the driving force behind me revisiting the project and is chock full of great ideas. It really shows how a single layout template can be adapted to a host of uses and I can’t wait to see what else Clayton releases in the future.
Quick Review(s)
Rather than one quick review, why not a collection!? On TikTok! Yeah, I know it’s a Gen Z place but I’ve been enjoying making some short videos and for once the algorithm works (somewhat) in my favour. Here’s what I’ve covered so far:
Blood Feud - A viking RPG about toxic masculinity.
A Loud Noise in a Quiet Place - A contemplative exploration of temporary hearing loss.
Coffee and Chaos - A comedy RPG about customer service and running a bar.
My aim going forward is to focus on indie games I own in print, interspersed with a few videos featuring my own work. Coming soon(ish): Stealing the Throne and Paris Gondo.
Check Out - These Stars Will Guide You Home
I’ve only had a chance to skim through the PDF (expect a review in a future newsletter) but if you’re into beautiful solo games then check out These Stars Will Guide You Home, by Albi, who I collaborated with last year to create Numb3r Stations. It looks fantastic and I can’t wait to receive my print copy later this year.
The Sign Off
I hate that letting you know about a new place to find me has become a regular part of the newsletter but I’m now on Bluesky! My username there is whodo.bsky.social and given a lot of gamers seem to be shifting to it I think it may end up being my Twitter (never X) replacement as I reduce the amount of time I spend there.
Stay safe,
Craig