This post is going to be a bit light on
game stuff (although there is some) and a bit heavier on the personal
life stuff as I reflect on the past year and make plans for 2014.
All things considered, 2013 wasn't too
bad. In fact it was pretty good, especially when compared to 2012.
Last January I decided that 2013 was going to be “the year I got
better,” and in many ways it has been. I've accomplished a good
many things this past year, more than I realized until I sat down to
write this.
2013's Accomplishments
I have managed to keep my depression
under control, even while off medication. This has mostly been due to
positive life changes and the constant support of sympathetic
friends.
Delilah the Cat died at age 9, but my
wife and I managed to rescue two newborn kittens abandoned by their
mother in our garage. Marceline and Hero are 5 months old, healthy
and energetic.
I got promoted at work, which included
a significant pay raise, full time hours for the first time in 2
years, benefits, and the prospect for further career growth in the
company. It's the first “grown-up” job I've had since the dot-com
bust. I love my new position, and it's certainly helped with me turn
things around this year.
Hobomancer,
a game I helped develop,
won an Ennie Award. I'm very proud of this
game, and I was so happy it got some recognition. It was a major win
for Hex Games.
My
submission to the One Page Dungeon Contest won “Best One-Shot.”
I
completed Acheron: Son of Hades,
a mini-comic I'd been working/dithering on for some time. I promise
I'll share it soon.
For
the past 48 weeks, I have posted a map to this here blog, every week,
without fail. The maps sometimes don't show up until Wednesday or
Thursday, but they go up every week.
Let's
talk about the maps for a bit. I started the
Mini-Map Monday thing
for a couple of reasons. First, I like making maps, and I wanted to
share them. Second, and I'll be honest, it was a means of
self-promotion and trying to build my rep in the RPG community. But
mostly, it was an exercise in discipline. One of my long-standing
personality quirks is getting things started and getting things done.
It's a fear thing, honestly, and it's dogged me my entire life. With
Mini-Map Mondays I said to myself. “Look, JB, let's start small.
Maps. Little maps you can bang out in 15 minutes. If you can do that
every week without fail, then that's a seed you can grow from. Work
up from there.”
So
it's been almost a year since I started the map project, and it's
worked exceptionally well. I am producing something every
week, and that's key. Constant production helps stave off depression
and misery, and it's been a boon. From the feedback I've gotten,
people seem to actually like the maps, too. Thank you, everyone, for
your support.
My
Plans for 2014
My
wife bought my this banjo a couple of years ago. I swore I'd learn to
play it in 2013, and I didn't. Let's see if I can fix that this year.
Get
this dank basement wrangled back into a functional office and
creative space. More lights, more houseplants.
Hobomancer Companion
is in layout right now, so that will be out soon. A good way to start
the year!
I have
a sword & sorcery mini-RPG I've been fiddling with for over a
year. Let's see if I can get that out sometime this year.
For
Hex Games, I have plans for a non-historic caveman supplement for
QAGS. The ideas are still brewing, but it's the project I want to get
our for Hex this year.
More
maps!
Comics!
Oh, this is the big one. I haven't talked about it much here, but I
have two web comics that I've abandoned--”Adventure Jeff” and
“Legacy League.” My big goal this year is to get those back up
and running. These are actually the projects that Mini-Map Monday was
designed to prepare me for. Get them out each week, keep on
producing. I'm very excited about it.
2014
will be a good year. I command it!
This weekend I pitched some games I want to run to my home group--Star Wars with Fate, Inverse World, or Dresden Files. I was kind of hoping to run Star Wars, but the group (after some debate) decided on Dresden Files. I was slightly disappointed for a moment, and then, in response to one player expressing uncertainties about a modern day setting, another player said "well we could always set it in another time period, like Victorian London?"
