Getting back on to the hobby horse
A new site, Jam, a new Actual Play, and lots of games.
Wow. I am not so good at spinning so many plates, am I.
Sorry all. I started a new job literally the day after I released the last newsletter and it as proven to keep me much busier than my old one. Between that and trying to promote for folks as much as I could during Zine Month, I was admitedly a bit overwhelmed. I therefore took the concnous decision to take a step back from some of my platforms and Substack was one of them.
I am starting to find my footing though, so hopefully I will be able to keep you all in the loop on the going’s on here in Hessan’s County.
A new website!
After two years with my old provider, I felt it was time to change. My previous webite host used a proprietary system, so I could not just lift the old site over. I was going to have to rebuild it from the ground up.
Moving over all of these posts has been another time sink, but now it is mostly done. Not all of the posts have been trasfered to the new Hessan’s County, but you can definitely check it out today if you wish!
Playing around with Hints & Hijinks
I started off the newsletter saying I was getting back on to the Hobby Horse and I meant it. I have written very little of my own game material in the last 3 months and it has not been fun. This is something I intend to change.
Fortunately, I have an idea on how to change that. Any of you who have been following me for a long time know one of my first projects was a game called Sageuk! Roleplay in Joseon, a TTRPG inspired by historical k-dramas. When it originally came out, I had every intention of making material for it to expand on the game. I wanted to craft a story that would act as a starter pack for the types of stories you could tell with the system. In fact, I wrote about the original plot for this starter storyline in this blog post from back in December of 2021!
To summarize it, Crisis in the Jwi-dal of Musin is a action-mystery story where the Keeper of a royal tombsite has disappeared. It is urgent you find him because high-level officials will be visiting soon to find a place to bury the recently-deceased Crown Prince. You have been asked to find out what happened to him before it is too late or a lot of people will get shamed in front of a furious, grieving King not afraid to let heads roll!
Problem is, I am not so great at writing mysteries and even less so at writing them in a way that is fun and interactive for players.
However, I think I have found a way around this. Recently I have been reading the SRD created by Pandion Games for several of their recent solo mystery games, Hints and Hijinx. It has an interesting system that allow the players to find clues, put to gether a hypothosis and then use the number of clues they used combined with several other factors to determine if they were right.
For me, this removes one of the major hurdles to writing a mystery story intended for play. If there is no canon answer, then the Players and Storyteller (GM) can run with the story in any way they wish. They might do a great and thorough job, get lucky, rush and fail, or be suprised to an unexpected plot twist. That takes some of the pressure off of me, the writer, and leaves me to focus on creating an immersive setting the players can find their clues in.
To make matters even better, there is even a Hints and Hijinx Jam going on! However, there is not much time left. As I write this, there are just under 8 days left to the Jam, so wish me luck!
To Swear on your Honor
Plans are in motion! I recently did a deep dive of Cat McDonald’s To Swear on your Honor. In this TTRPG written to be played solo, you are a heroic warrior sworn to a liege with power and influence in your realm. It is your mission to protect the land, the people, and your liege from the Perils and Intrigues that exist out there. Keep them safe and your legendary abilities may lead future generations to hail you as a paragon! Fail them and your name will be cursed, vilified, or even forgotten.
I found this game quite impressive, so I have the intention of doing an actual play of it! Current plans are to do some set up, then likely release the first episode in about mid-April. When I do, I will start adding the episodes to YouTube and use this post on my website as a central holding place for them all.
If you missed the original deep dive video, here it is! I mostly look at the mechanics and discuss possible ways to theme or flavor the story To Swear on your Honor tries to let you tell.
Bundles! Sales! So many goodies!
Since our last newsletter, I have also had games in several bundles! One of them is the TTRPG Animals bundle. There are so many fun games in this one, I created both a video for the YouTube channel and a blog post about games from it! There is only about a week left if you want to check it out
I also want to do a shout-out for a game currently running on Kickstarter, You're In Space And Everything's F*ked. This is a horor scifi TTRPG released by Dinoberry Press very much in the vein of The Thing, Alien, and Dead Space where you are heavily outnumbered by a lot of weird things trying to kill you.
I tried to record an AP for this using the demo, but I found the game too engaging in some ways. I kept forgetting I was recording!
You’re in Space… is very atmospheric with its procedual systems for generating spaces, placing opponents for you to clear out, and even crafting your character’s best friend, their tool/weapon of choice that supports them through thick and thin. The game only has two stats and a small number of other things to keep track of, so it is also easy to become invested in the story, even if you are running it alone.
The game will be live on Kickstarter for another two weeks, so don’t forget to check it out!
Hope you all have a good rest of the month of March! Keep an eye out for further updates on the our Hints and Hijinx-based aventure for Sageuk!, the AP, or any other things we get ourselves wrapped up in.
Lovely update! I also enjoy the fact both if our newsletters this week are titled “getting back-“ 😅