Prospero House has shifted into another one of its lulls. Creative energy has not flowed recently, thanks to current events, perpetually escalating work obligations, and intentional dedication to family life. Gaming and related projects have shifted onto a deep back burner. I wanted to check in briefly to express my gratitude for the gaming community, the creative energy flowing through the Miskatonic Repository, and all the people I’ve gotten to spend time with during 2024. Here’s a brief, incomplete gratitude list.
- Being able to attend Chaosium Con, Origins, and Gamehole Con and having the opportunity (and energy) to run 20 games between these three conventions.
- The unbelievable players that I’ve gotten to game with during the last year. I would love to have every single one of you back at a table with me again. Such an incredible community of folks out there.
- Receiving a generous invite from The Old Ways Podcast to participate in a Miskatonic Repository Author’s panel.
- Collaborating with Alex Guillotte on Deliver Us From Evil, hitting Electrum, and seeing a second scenario I worked on in print.
- Working together with other MR creators to assemble the Weird Wilderness Bundle
- Marek Golonka and his collaborators for assembling the Halloween 2024 and Miskatonic Repository Con bundles.
- Hearing The Kona Lodge run an actual play of Deliver Us From Evil.
- Swamp Song hitting Gold on DriveThru RPG.
- Participating in Miskatonic Repository Con, my first online convention, where I had the opportunity to run Deliver Us From Evil for an outstanding group.
- Getting outside of my comfort zone and LARPing for the first time at Chaosium Con. Thanks, Symphony Entertainment—so proud to be a backer of this amazing and supportive community.
- Starting my third Miskatonic Repository scenario, The Lost Lords of Neptune, and deciding to put it on hold to focus on other projects.
- Starting a second collaborative effort, this time with Matt “Doc” Tracey.
- Surrendering control and playing in thirteen games this year!
- Commissioning another beautiful piece of art from Tom Brown for the above collaboration, Where Dreams Take Root.
- Playing Impossible Landscapes with my home group. We paused in June as work and life took major precedence over gaming.
- A surprise renewal of our campaign’s pause by playing Carnival of Madness on Halloween. The players’ shock when the camera panned from the scenario’s cinematic conclusion to their agents watching TV in a mental ward.
- Booking my hotel for Chaosium Con IV.
- Managed to keep Prospero House relatively active and alive for a third year despite myriad external challenges.
- Accepting my limitations and admitting that I can’t have time for everything…
- My lifelines, the people I can text, call, and (eventually) share honestly with about everything (including games).
I am so glad I have been able to find respite in writing and gaming for the past several years. This blog started as a great place to pour my dangerously restless energy during difficult times. It flowed into larger and related writing efforts, and it has been immensely rewarding to create things I get to enjoy. Now it has become a balancing act, and I hope to push it forward into the future, but I am willing to take what I have already received. I relinquish any grand expectations for my writing endeavors…at least for the time being. I am profoundly satisfied with the connections, friendships, opportunities, and other immaterial gifts this little bit of madness has granted me.