The Big, June, Pre-Kickstarter Update: What to Expect at TheAngryGM.com This Month

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June 11, 2018

It’s just one week until The Angry GM: The Website: The Book goes live on Kickstarter! I won’t go into too many details about that here. After all, if you want details, you can get them via e-mail updates by signing up to my mailing list. Yeah. I have a mailing list. If you want to see the archived updates, can read them over at my Mailchimp page. And if you want to sign up for updates – for the next week – you can shove your e-mail address into this box and click the button:




 


But, I do want to update about what to expect on my website in the next week, after the Kickstarter launches, and after it ends. Yeah: my usual transparency thing. If you don’t care about any of this crap and you just want content, come back on Wednesday for your regular feature article. If you do care about the content release schedule, well, read the next heading and then leave. And if you care about Patreon reward content, read the following heading. And if you care about me as a person, read the heading after that. I’m going to keep this brief in any case because I’m up to my f$&%ing eyeballs in s$&% to do. Got it? See you on Wednesday for the next article.

What to Expect on TheAngryGM.com

If I’ve played my cards right – and I’m pretty sure I have – the Kickstarter should not cause a disruption of my content output on the website once it’s up and running. That is, from June 19 to July 19, expect the normal schedule of articles. A feature every Wednesday, Megadungeon Mondays, and Ask Angry every Thursday. I know the Ask Angry thing disappeared for a little while. There was a little issue that isn’t terribly important. Point is, it’ll be back.

However, I’m in a work crunch right now. There’s a lot of little pieces that have to come together before June 19. That is, before next Tuesday. Launch day. And so, for the next week, all I’m putting out is the normal Wednesday feature article. Megadungeon is on hold. The next Megadungeon Monday will be on June 25. I’m sorry. It’s unavoidable. I have to channel that work time into getting everything finalized so I’ll actually be able to launch a Kickstarter and publish a book. And, just so you understand, a big part of all of that is to make sure the book will arrive on supporters’ doorsteps before Christmas. THIS YEAR. I don’t want this to be one of those Kickstarters that takes two years to deliver. Or even one year to deliver. Or even nine months. I want it done before the year is done. It’s just a f$&%ing book. That should be easy. And I wouldn’t launch the Kickstarter if I didn’t think I could clear it in a few months. Honestly, by the time the Kickstarter has run its course, my part in creating the book will be pretty much done.

I should also point out that, due to disruptions in Brian “Fiddleback” Casey’s life, that also extends to the podcasts I work with him on. We’re not releasing a GM Word of the Week this week, nor will there be a new Digressions and Dragons episode next week. His father is coming home from the hospital, and there’s a lot he has to do. So, everything is basically frozen for one week.

After July 19 – the end of the Kickstarter – there may be another small disruption of content, on the order of a week or so. I’m working hard to make sure it doesn’t happen. But the Tiny GM and I are moving from Chicago to Wisconsin sometime at the end of July or the beginning of August. And that might knock me offline for approximately one week. As I type this, I’m actually waiting for word on whether we have a place to live in Wisconsin and whether we’ll be able to take possession of it before we don’t have a place to live in Chicago. It’s complicated.

So, to summarize: this week, all you’re getting is a feature article on or around Wednesday, June 13. Next week, you’ll get a feature article on or around Wednesday, June 20 and an Ask Angry on or around Thursday, June 21. After that, the schedule will return to normal with Megadungeon Monday coming back on Monday, June 25. And sometime at the end of July or the beginning of August, there may be a week-long disruption of content. Okay? Got it? Good.

What to Expect from your Patreon Rewards

Let’s talk about Patreon rewards and what’s happening with them.

First, Patrons of every level get Early Access to each week’s feature article over at Patreon.com. Well, sort of. The Early Access thing hasn’t been all that early these last few weeks because I’ve been working pretty close to the deadline. Once the KS for the book launches, Early Access will start actually coming early again because I’ll be working farther out from the deadline. I’m not going to promise anything firm, but you’ll notice that start to improve after June 19.

Supporters who back me at the Frienemy level ($3.75 per article, four times a month or $15 once per month) receive access to the Secret Stash. That’s where I put custom maps, monsters, and other content I create for my home games. New stuff there has been thin on the ground because my own home game has been on hold as a result of everything going on. I announced, a few weeks ago, that I have a project in the works there to compile a bunch of my custom monsters into a single document, a sort of bestiary and lore book about the Angryverse and the monsters that live in it. That project actually got more complicated when I developed an alternate scheme for statting monsters in D&D 5E. But that has all also taken a back-burner to the book and the KS. The Angryverse Bestiary is NOT dead. But no serious work is going to happen until after the KS is done in July. But I think it’ll be worth the wait.

Supporters who back me at the Victim level ($5 per article, four times a month or $20 once per month) have access to online games when I have time to run them. Now, the online game has been on hold, as those who were involved know. Because that is highly dependent on my free time, as I always said. Once I have moved, and my life is settled, that free time will increase drastically. Which means I will likely be in touch with all of those folks in August about restarting one-shot games, playtests, and other games in September. And, depending on how the Kickstarter goes, I may be ready to start an exciting project by years end that is going to need playtesters. And non-disclosure agreements.

Unfortunately, at this time, I do not have plans to open up any more Victim slots. I have far more people supporting me at that level than I could accommodate in online games as it is. I’m sorry. But I’m also not sorry. Because being overwhelmed by support is a great problem to have.

What’s Happening in the Life of Angry

For those interested in my personal details, here they are: life is complicated and crazy. I’m writing and Kickstarting my first book – as you may have heard – and I’m also getting ready to move from Chicago, IL – where I have lived happily survived for three years after moving from Long Island, New York. The thing is, these things weren’t supposed to happen at the same time. The book is happening about three months later than it was supposed to, according to my plan. But things delayed it on my side and also on Third Act Publishing’s side. That’s whose helping me make this book a reality. The company is run by my good friend and KS expert Jim McClure. And we had been talking about this partnership as early as last August.

That’s why everything is so hectic.

We’re moving for a good reason. We’re moving to the Tiny GM’s hometown of Manitowoc, WI so she can go back to college and get her degree. Her first stint at college was disrupted by some health problems and, due to the expense, she was never able to return and finish up. Now, she can. And that gives me the time I need to develop… well… you know. Things I’m not working on. If all goes well and she finishes her degree, and I get… things… published… we’ll be on track for marriage. And if I don’t get… things… published in that time, I leave the RPG world forever and go back to accounting so that we can get married and support a family. But at least I’ll have tried. And I will be happy doing that. I actually do really enjoy the accounting field.

Our lease runs out here on July 31. And we’re actually up for a really nice apartment. We’ll know for sure whether we have it in a couple of days. Otherwise, we have to keep shopping. If we get the apartment, that will make life a lot easier because we can stop shopping. But, the timing of the move is going to be very complicated as the apartment may not be available until slightly after we have to be out of our current apartment. So, no matter how it works out, it’s going to be crazy hectic, and it will require a lot of juggling of things. I’m trying to cut a deal that will make the timing work out better, but we’ll see how that goes. Either way, we know things are going to be hectic and crazy. We just don’t know whether they will be hectic NOW or hectic LATER. It depends on whether we’re done shopping or not. That’s why I’m unsure where the other disruption in content output is going to be.

Further complicating all of this is the fact that I have developed not one, but two different nerve problems. I have sciatica, and I also have a mysterious something that may be related to the sciatica but isn’t responding like sciatica and may represent a peripheral nerve issue. So, I’ve been spending a lot of time in physical therapy and exercise and trying to get things under control. The first issue is mostly controlled. The second issue is being a b$&%. Unfortunately, it makes it hard to both work at the computer for long stretches and to put any weight on my right leg for more than a few minutes. That makes it very hard to do – well – anything. And the PT is eating up about three to four hours out of every work week by itself, not to mention the time spent on daily exercises every f$&%ing hour. And because my medical insurance provider doesn’t have a presence in Wisconsin, if this doesn’t get sorted before the move date – and that date is up in the air – I will have to start over with a new doctor, a new insurance company, and a new physical therapist. And the changeover will be complicated.

Of course, Angry Games is now a corporation. It had to be if I was going to fund a book. But that means I also get the joy of moving a corporate headquarters from one state to another. I was smart enough to plan for that when I established the corporation, but it’s still not the easiest thing in the world. Yes, even though my corporate headquarters are basically just A DESK.

Now, I am just sharing all of this to give some sense of what I mean when I say, “things are crazy.” And to explain why I’m making the time management choices I am right now. What I’m not trying to do is drum up sympathy. Or offer excuses. The reality is there are a few too few hours in the week, and I have to make a hard decision now – limit my content output for a week – to make sure that I can keep up in the long run and to hopefully plan for a future disruption. Last year, and the year before, I would have used all of this crap as an excuse. That’s how I got into the mess of falling so far behind and disappointing my amazing supporters and fans. I don’t want to be in that position again. Because they – you – are amazing. You’ve made it possible for me to write and publish my first book. That’s exciting. One of my dreams, honestly. To have my name on the cover of an actual book. And that’s just a step, I hope. Thank you. Thank you for everything. Thank you for believing in me.

Meanwhile, as tricky as things are right now, they are all moving toward great things. Moving, getting Tiny through college, financial stability, publishing… you know, whatever I might publish in the future… those are all great things. That’s why I say I’m not looking for sympathy. It’s going to be hard work. But that’s the way it is. You work for what you want. And you can’t control everything that happens to you. But you can control what you do when it happens.

So, this is just me working hard for what I want and not stopping just because life is hard and I have to work twice as hard to compensate. But I also recognize that I would never have had this opportunity – and I would never have grown to understand this – without every supporter, reader, fan, and friend. So, one more time: thank you. Thank you for everything.

And now I’ve got to go. I’ve got one week left before I have to Kick the Start out of this book. And I plan to Kickstart it right in the a$&. Or whatever I’m saying.


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27 thoughts on “The Big, June, Pre-Kickstarter Update: What to Expect at TheAngryGM.com This Month

  1. Time to work on killing all 6 current players in my campaign, in a satisfying manner so that we can play the Angry RPG. Any tips on how to give these guys nice death?

    • If you have some rocks that can fall … 🙂 but seriously, what level are they and what are their classes? I may have a few ideas for you since Angry looks to be filled up with busy.

    • He’s not writing the Angry RPG. He’s working on a How to GM guidebook that will be similar to this website, but will be refined and organized in a manner that is accessible to the non-indoctrinated.

      • Right. And after that, he will definitely not be developing and playtesting other projects that are hinted at in this article.

  2. Really really REALLY hoping everything turns out right and you DONT need to leave the RPG world forever. That would be a terrible loss. I’ll Kickstart the shit out of whatever you release if that means we get to have you enlightening us for a little longer. And I’m extremely excited for those things that you’re definitely not working on. Just so you know.

  3. As much as I enjoy reading your articles, Angry, life is indeed what’s most important. So, I briefly wish you much success in all of your endeavors, as well as with your health situation. I’ve heard of your situation over at Digressions and Dragons and do wonder if merely standing at the desk might help out whenever you’re too into your work to go out and walk. Regardless of it being a decent idea or not according to your therapist, looking forward to the Kickstarter.

      • Clearly you need to install an intricate system of pulleys and levers that allows you to work continuously whilst neither sitting nor standing!
        Unfortunately, you’d then have to move it across country in a few weeks, otherwise the idea was definitely plausible. 🙂

      • Every case is probably different, but I’ve had good luck working at a desk with sciatica by using a cheap metal folding chair, like you find in church basements and the like. They don’t even pretend to offer back support so I find I sit with really good posture in one. I used to have a pretty comfortable office chair that I got at Staples (or somewhere similar) but it was killing my back once I developed sciatica. I can’t promise that it is going to fix any problems, but it definitely doesn’t make my sciatica worse. And “doesn’t make it worse” is a big victory sometimes in the fight against sciatica.

  4. Hey man, health comes first. I imagine me and a lot of people here are fine with delays if it means you stay healthy.

  5. I’ve enjoyed reading your stuff ever since I’ve found it. And the two or three times we’ve interacted on Twitter has been great. I think your stuff it top notch and I absolutely will be backing that book on the Starter of Kicks!

    As has been said, make sure you take time for your health and well-being. I know you know this. I just want to reiterate it because it is very important.

    I will patiently wait for additional material. It is worth the wait. In the mean time, I’m going to get my link-sharing abilities ready to spread the word about your forthcoming book far and wide.

  6. I came here a few months ago because I was going to start run a game for some newbies to D&D (My first stint at running a game!). I’ve read darn near every article I could (three or four times) and I ran my first two sessions! I sucked (I knew that I would) and I still suck, but I am getting better and we are having fun! All thanks to your incredible advice, Angry! I can’t wait to throw money at the book, and I wish you and Tiny GM great success and happiness!

  7. I can’t wait for you to release your RPG. I’m tired of Pathfinder and I know the system you’d build would be hella fun to play.

  8. Your life choices are your own, although, I admit I don’t really understand why you’d ever need to melo-dramatically “leave the RPG world forever”–although it would certainly be in-character for your rage-driven persona.

    I respect your choices and wish you the best.

    • Because, at that point, I will have a wife and potentially a family. Which means, if developing and publishing an RPG isn’t supporting me, I can’t afford to do it. Time or money. That ain’t melodrama. Sorry. Priorities change when you’re responsible for more than just yourself. And, in three to four years, my priorities will be changing. Statement of fact.

        • That’s because your reading comprehension sucks. If I were changing my goals, priorities, or dreams because someone told me I had to to be with them, yes, that would be wrong. You know nothing of my goals, priorities, or dreams. I have intended to start a family for a long time. That goal trumps the one about publishing a role-playing game. So, if the one starts to get in the way of the other, it’s pretty obvious which one goes. And that is not melodrama. It’s a choice. If I cannot support a family eventually by publishing role-playing games, publishing RPGs is incompatible with my other life choices. That shouldn’t be hard to grasp.

          This thread is over. It is completely off topic and really, none of what I choose concerns you. If you have anything further to contribute, feel free to write it down on a piece of paper, fold it neatly up, and hand it to the next random stranger you meet because I guarantee you it is far more to likely to end up in the hands of someone who actually gives a f$&% than if you share it with me. Thank you.

  9. Anyone know what time the Kickstarter goes live? I am on vacation and have been trying to search the site off and on now before the family’s activities start for the day.

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