Wow. Two months since my last post.
I've been really neglecting the blog. Sorry! Well, not that I've had much excitement to post really over the last couple of months - busy working and stressing and working... But as it's coming up to the end of the year, I figured I may as well do my update along with a review of the year (such as it was).
2021 was really more of a continuation of the horror-show that 2020 was, starting the year in lockdown. A time I can safely say was tough on us all. Virus figures were high (though looking back on them now, when you see the figures over the last couple of weeks... jeez) and everyone was worried. I've been accused of worrying too much, and becoming paranoid about the virus, but hell, if I've learned anything from those post-apocalypse movies it's that you can't be too careful.
Just as things were starting to improve, and things started opening up again, there was that impending worry that I'd have to go back to the outside world - to head back to retail and the stresses of interacting with the public. When luckily, I was saved...
April this year I left my job in retail after many, many, many years and went full-time writing tabletop roleplaying games, becoming a full-time Producer at Cubicle 7 Games, looking after the Doctor Who line.
Of course, while my days were spent stooped over a computer working away on the Doctor Who RPG's Second Edition, my evenings were spent stooped over a computer working away on the WILD RPG.
We'd Kickstarted the initial book for the WILD RPG (Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming) back in November, but it had been successful enough to expand and require a little more wordage - in addition to this, we were working closely with Gareth Sleightholme to get the art polished off for the cool Tarot cards that were designed to accompany the game.
By May, WILD was complete and released, and Stoo started the huge task of packaging up the books and cards to ship off to the backers. It's still available through Drivethru and Gamefound, just check out the WILD Website for more info.
The rest of the year? Well, we've continued our rewatch of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe (in chronological order) - and we're just in the middle of Season 3 of Runaways, so there will be an update on that in the new year, but otherwise it's just been work, work, work...
Doctor Who has progressed nicely, with a great adventure (available for free) called The Einstein Engine, and there's the fantastic Starter Set as well. Everything's coming along nicely, with the Second Edition corebook and the Starter Set at the printers. All exciting!!
I'm working out what to go in a sequel volume for WILD (WILD Book 2 - Even Deeper) and more about dreams within dreams, and I've had this weird idea for a smaller book RPG...
You remember I have this thing about small books - I don't know why, but I had this idea for doing a set of small books, like the old classic SF game of the late 70s, but for a modern day magic game, like Harry Potter, The Magicians, or something similar.
I'm still pondering about that. I got as far as creating a cover to inspire me (see right), and to remind me of how little we needed as teens in the old days to create years of adventure in pocket-money priced books.
But with the dayjob in writing, and doing an evening class, my time has been limited.
What has 2022 in store?
Who knows? If the last two years have taught me anything, they have just reinforced my feeling that anything can happen, and it is foolish to plan too far in advance. I hope to continue in the dayjob, do more there, hopefully expand my range a little. I hope to do some more WILD, and maybe the magic thing, and there's my weird desire to write / illustrate my autobiography in a partly exaggerated and humorous way.
Above all, I just hope that things improve globally for everyone.
So, until my next post, next year, take care of yourself and yours, stay safe, and always be kind.
Dave
