Time for an update and, considering I don’t even remember the last time I did one of these monthly updates, I’ve reclassified them as Mostly Monthly Updates for the foreseeable future.

I don’t want to belabor the introductory, personal crap. Especially it’ll require me to say some stuff I’ve said before about, “Really, really fixing it this time,” and “I’m so sorry but I’m trying really hard now.” So, just take that shit as read, take it with a grain of salt, and trust what I do, not what I say. That’s smart.

All y’all know I’ve been struggling through the worst period of my life. I’ve faced a lot of upheavals, but nothing in my life prepared me to deal with the events of the last eighteen months or even the chaotic period of collapse that preceded it. My ability to get knocked down and get back up again, my refusal to give up, it’s always served me pretty well. But it gave out on me. I was letting everything fall apart and I mostly didn’t even care. Well, that’s not quite true. I didn’t give up completely, but I sure wanted to and I didn’t feel there was any point in not giving up.

But something strange happened two weeks ago. The sun came out. Metaphorically. It was there in the sky. Moreover, when I looked at it, I realized it wasn’t the first time I’d seen it. That it had been coming out and I’d been noticing without really noticing it. And I’ll be damned if it isn’t still coming out. I can’t point to any one reason for that, but I’m told that’s how it happens sometimes, and it’s not like I haven’t been doing my part to care for myself while I was waiting for the sun even though I didn’t believe I’d ever see it again. I have been working hard.

I still have a lot of work in front of me, I still have a long way to go, and now that I look around at what I’ve done to Angry Games and TheAngryGM.com over the last two years, I recognize how much I’ve let things fall to shit and how many things I’ve left sitting untouched for way too long. But cleaning the windows and spackling and painting the walls and building that deck I’ve been meaning to build don’t feel impossible or overwhelming anymore and they don’t feel pointless.

The other day, last Wednesday, in the first full, non-holiday week of the month, I published the first Early Access article for my supporters. The audio Proofreadaloud dropped alongside it. It’s actually the first time I’ve published something on time in many, many, many months. The second article is almost ready to follow it next week. Meanwhile, the back content that’s been sitting and waiting to get posted for my General Access readers is moving to the front page, two per week, until it’s back in sync. The Proofreadalouds that I recorded and then didn’t have time to publish in my end-of-June desperate content blitz have also been pushed out to my supporters already.

There’s a lot to do and a lot to reconnect on and I don’t want to make any huge promises or set deadlines right now. I’ve built a Catch Up, Hold Ground, Grow strategy and I’m staying narrowly focused on it rather than spreading myself across everything. But there are some exciting components to that plan, some you know about, some you don’t, that I will discuss more in the weeks to come.

But, yes, I have said, “I’m going to turn it all around,” before, so don’t trust me. Instead, just watch. If you’re getting a new Early Access Feature every week this month and General Access Features are appearing twice a week until the end of the month, those are the actions that will speak louder than my words. Likewise, if you’re in my supporter community and see me around more and see me responding more, those are my actions, especially if they involve me posting jokes and bantering while also overanalyzing game design and flinging out interesting ways to run games better.

It’s been a long, hard road, but I am not at the end of the road. I can’t forget that. I’m somewhere in the middle of the road. It’s a little easier to put one foot in front of the other, my backpack isn’t quite as heavy, and the sky is clear where it was once black, but there’s still a lot of miles to hike.

You’ve stuck by me for a long time. You’ve supported me, encouraged me, and you’ve shown me compassion and patience. I have tried to show gratitude. I hope I have. The truth is, you helped keep me alive. I thank you for it and I thank God for filling my life with so many wonderful, compassionate, generous, weird, wonderful, pain-in-the-asses as He has. May He bless each and every one of you as well.

Now, enough of that crap…

Content Plans

My goal this month is to get my shit out on time and, as of today, I’m right where I should be to do that. Early Access supporters got a new True Scenario Design Feature this week already with a Proofreadaloud alongside it. General Access readers will be waiting a couple of weeks for that one as older content I let build up gets moved to the front page. By the end of July, you’ll be back to waiting just one week for each Feature.

Expect two one-off articles this month. One’s general Game Mastering advice about managing narrative when you’ve got to cover long periods for things like travel, downtime activities, or long tasks. The other is a rant about Initiative that ends with a neat little alternative take on Speed-Factor Initiative that’s totally manageable, doesn’t require the players to lock in actions in advance, and requires less tracking at the table than even standard, normal Initiative does. Finally, expect an article that I’m lifting from the currently on-hold True Campaign Managery series because I kept promising it and many of you are still asking for it. It’s the first of two articles on basic conflict resolution at the table.

The content plan this month reflects an approach I’d like to continue into the future with one or two heavy articles from big series each month interspersed with basic Game Mastering tips and tricks for folks of all skill levels and some minor mechanical goodness. That balance seems to best reflect what the majority of all my readers — not just my generous supporters — are looking for from me. At least in terms of regular Feature content.

As for the bigger projects, give me the rest of July to get through Catch Up to Hold Ground and I promise we’ll talk. You’ve been patient for a long time, give me three more weeks.

Live Chat

I will be hosting my Mostly Monthly Live Chat for Discord members — which will be recorded for all supporters at every tier — on Tuesday, July 22 at 7:00 PM EDT. I’ll post a Q&A thread in the Discord for folks who want to propose topics or ask questions, but I’ll also take questions and interact with listeners live. I’m going to keep things deliberately light and avoid commenting on future plans and I ask you folks to respect that in the Q&A thread for right now.

Inner Sanctum Events

Last month, I tried to organize a casual game night for members of the Discord’s #InnerSanctum, but it fell through. I am going to try to organize one for the end of the month and I’ll put an invite out early next week. This time, I’m going to gather RSVPs. If this works, I’d like to make such casual events a semi-regular occurrence. So keep an eye on that.

Off-Line-ness

Immediately after posting this update, I’m probably going to go radio silent and stay that way for the next three to five days. This is because I’m doing some repairs and upgrades in the Angry Games office and to its computer system. I may not be able to record next week’s Proofreadaloud live for listeners on Discord, but I do intend to get it out on time no matter what.

Don’t panic if you don’t see me for a few days.

Everything Else

Once again, I’m going to appeal for patience even though you’ve all shown me far more patience than I deserve. I know there are issues with the site and its indexes. I know there are two big, important projects that people want — and deserve — updates on, especially given that I reported a major setback on one of them last month that resulted in my having to shitcan six weeks of work. It’s all on my radar. I will update you as soon as I feel confident that I won’t be talking out of my ass. If the next 20 days go the way the last 11 have, I will be moving forward on those projects again. And you’ll see whether that’s happening just by watching when content comes out.

Thank you for your understanding.