Hey all…
July’s been a rough month. I’ve been dealing with an ongoing personal health issue that just will not f$&%ing let up. I’m doing the best I can to take care of it, but it’s been extremely frustrating. And I know it’s been affecting my interactions.
To that end, I want to start this short update with a message to my community members: I am deeply sorry if I have been cranky, irritable, or short-tempered with you in our interactions or if I have just been unavailable, distant, or dismissive. However I’m feeling, that doesn’t give me the right to mistreat anyone. I’ve been on a long personal journey to get my anger and temperament under control, but when things get difficult in life, it is very hard to remember my training. But, still, no excuse. If I’ve been a jerk to you, you deserve an apology. And if you need to speak to me privately, to let me know that I’ve done something to upset you so we can clear the air, you know how to reach me through SubscribeStar, Patreon, and Discord. Don’t hesitate to reach out. And be patient if it takes me a day or two to get back. I will get back to you.
What with one thing and another, I have to change my schedule a little. So, here’s the update on content. If that’s all you’re here for, just check out the next section and then move on. What follows is a little behind the scenes explanation of why the changes just for your interest. The technical reasons. Not personal issues.
Revised Content Calendar for July (and August)
There it is. The new content calendar. Tentatively. The August update will finalize that s$&%, but I don’t expect it to change as I’ve got series’ to finish.
Note that there’s five Wednesday’s in August. So there won’t be an article in Early Release on August 3rd or for General Release on August 10th. That gives me an extra week to rejigger the Theme Pack as discussed below.
July Mostly Monthly Live Chat
As I announced the other day, the July Live Chat schedule for tonight — July 21, 2022 — is cancelled. And I won’t be able to reschedule it. So the next Live Chat will be in August. I’ll announce the date at the start of August. Sorry about that.
Theme Pack Change
The Theme Pack expected this month as bonus content for high-tier supporters is in the queue. It’s coming. And it will be followed by five more before year’s end. As promised. However, the Theme is no longer Home and Hearth. It will be an elemental themed pack entitled, tentatively, feeling the heat. It’ll probably show up in early August given I had to scrap and restart. But it’ll be here soon.
Why The Changes?
I want to explain why Town Mode’s getting pushed off and why the Theme Pack theme has changed. Because they’re actually totally related.
When I first came up with the idea of a Home and Hearth Theme Pack, my goal was to come up with a nice way to present a village or town in an RPG. What information to present and how to present it. And I had some unique and interesting ideas. At the time, I wasn’t planning on doing the Town Mode thing. But then, the idea of doing a series of articles on RPG towns came up. And I realized that, since I’d already done a bunch of work on town presentation when outlining the Theme Pack, I’d already laid some of the groundwork.
When I started outlining the Town Mode series, I decided to put off the Theme Pack a little bit longer so I could incorporate the elements from Town Mode into the Theme Pack. But as I worked through the outline — as I started analyzing Town Mode academically — I realized my outline for the Theme Pack wasn’t really sufficient. And I also realized that my ideas about town presentation weren’t really in line with my analysis.
I should have made this decision two weeks ago. But because of aforementioned medical issues and some hiccups in my own gaming life, including a personal falling out with a member of one of my groups that utterly ended a campaign forever, I didn’t. I kept putting it off.
Long story short: Town’s more complicated than I thought and my old outline about presenting and organizing town information ain’t going to cut it. It needs more redesign time. Which means delaying the next two parts, which are all about designing and presenting town and creating a practical example. Moreover, the Theme Pack town needs to be scrapped and redesigned. And I need a better hook for the Theme Pack then just “a better way to present Town and a simple, sample village” since that’s now what’s coming in the series.
Home and Hearth will appear. But it’ll offer something different and unique. Not just a simple example of how to present a village. Perhaps an example of a more unique settlement steeped in some Angryverse lore. And I would like to connect it to another Theme Pack about building random dungeons to populate the region. In fact, there’s a bigger idea in play here. But I need a few months to figure all the pieces.
Anyway… those are the reasons for moving Town Mode back and changing the Theme Pack theme so late in the game. And the personal s$&% is why I didn’t make those decisions and fix the problem two week’s ago. For which I am, again, deeply sorry.
Hey! I’m here for Angry GM, not reasonably temperamental and understanding and wants everyone to feel good GM ;P
Of course if you’re normally “angry” because of the state of the game, and not necesarily at us numbskulls that play it, and want to play it good, I see where you’re coming from (dammit! Am I getting all reasonable and understanding now too?! What the heck is going on here?)
PS I’ve been to anger management… Twice. Yes it gives you tools to help manage your anger more effectively, and might even help you learn a thing or two about yourself. But it will not stop you from being angry at all the things, and will most likely pile on another bunch of things to be mad about as you learn what all the other people there have to go through. This world can be a terrible place, which is why a lot of us play these games in the first place.
I wish you the best in feeling better, and as a “freeloader” (ie I have purchased your book, but don’t do patreon) I am ever grateful for whatever content you decide to share, whenever you decide to share it.
Ouch, that’s some heavy s*#^ you’re going through. Health issues *are* in fact a good reason to be having an awful time and let things slide, especially when they (the health issues) become chronic.
And now just imagine that instead of sympathy, this comment was a sharp kick up the arse with an iron-toed boot and a barked rejoinder to get moving, you brain-dead flatworm!, because I remember how you feel about sympathy.
Don’t sweat it, and you don’t need to apologize. Although I do enjoy reading the detailed reasons, because living vicariously is its own reward. But remember this: EVERYTHING is almost always more complicated than anybody thinks – even you, you modest, charismatic, genius.
Hey Angry. I’ve loitered, I’ve bought your book, I’ve read articles, I’ve signed up for Kickstarter notifications. All that wouldn’t happen if your health gets in the way. Take the time you need – you’ll still have a group of devoted cranky readers waiting to be schooled on how not to be idiots.