MMXXIII AD Spoiler Review

A farewell to 2023

Before we dive in, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who subscribed to me this year! When I started this newsletter seven months ago, I didn’t have much of a plan beyond writing about the things that interest me. I didn’t know if I’d get any kind of audience; the tabletop roleplaying (TTRPG) and video game scenes are so saturated as it is. But I am happy with the attention my little publication has gotten this year. So whether you are friend, family, curious onlooker, or a purveyor of your own games writing, I want to say thank you.

I would also like to take this opportunity to shout out a few of my fellow Substack newsletter writers who have inspired me this year:

Christian Lindke

runs the Geekerati Newsletter, and was the first stranger to comment on my articles. I am consistently in awe of the depth of his knowledge on all things geeky, including TTRPGs, movies, and more.

Geoffrey Golden

, though he doesn’t know it, is one of the biggest reasons I chose this platform in the first place. His twice-monthly newsletter, Adventure Snack, has produced over 100 bite-sized interactive fiction (IF) games, and never fails to entertain.

J.Q. Graziano

of Rediscovered Realms is full of wonderfully enthusiastic dives into the nerdy ephemera of yesteryear. He almost makes me nostalgic for a time before I was born as he unearths forgotten bits of creativity.

William F. Edwards

has just passed the 100 subscriber mark and is about one of the most approachable people I have encountered on Substack. He has wonderful thoughts about classic video games, got me hooked on the puzzle game Murdle (which may warrant an article in the coming year), and is writing a serial in the style of an arcade fighting game called “Battle Beneath the Stars.” As a fan of video game storytelling and genre mashups, I dig the concept!

2023 in Review

When I started this newsletter back in June, I had a broad set of goals:

1. Write about interesting tabletop, video, and narrative puzzle (escape) games

2. Build a portfolio

3. Gather an audience

4. Establish relationships with others in games writing

How did I do? Well, I successfully managed to write one article every week for the past seven months, with an average of 1,500 words per article. Breaking it down even further, I…

• Published 27 articles

  • 15 about tabletop gaming

  • 10 about video games

  • 1 about a narrative puzzle game

  • 1 list of Substack recommendations

• Released a free set of paper dice (see below)

• Gathered 71 subscribers

• Generated over 1000 views

All in all, pretty successful! I failed to cover narrative puzzle games to the extent that I wanted, though I have a long list of topics to cover in that arena, from Curious Correspondence, the Exit games, Journal 29, and even a Pride & Prejudice-themed puzzle book! Instead, I focused on far more TTRPG-themed articles this year. I hope to make up for that in the next!

As a start, here is a great Holiday puzzle game from the folks at Rusty Lake. Everything you need is in the video, although a knowledge of Rusty Lake lore will help. Good luck!

This newsletter has been a major milestone for me. I have wanted to write for and about games for a long time, but always lacked the confidence to pursue it full-time. This year is the first time that I find myself doing what I love because I want to. I have really appreciated the support I have gotten this year and the interesting people I have gotten to meet, and I hope to continue this momentum into the next year. Maybe I can even start earning money for food! Wouldn’t that be nice?

A Brief Bit of Unpleasantness

Some of you may have heard – and many of you probably have not – that there has been some controversy here at Substack, and many people have been talking about leaving the platform entirely.

Personally, I am disappointed with Substack leadership and I do not blame anyone for either leaving or staying. My thoughts can be summarized by the following:

While many people are leaving the platform, the question is if I will join them. When I started on Substack, it was with the full knowledge that I would probably leave it one day. It is great for up-and-coming writers, but maybe not the best for professional newsletters. It provides a simple, free method of gathering an audience and has some pretty nice tools.

Leaving this platform right now, while I am still growing, is not particularly viable. So, for the time being, I am going to stay. But I will be on the lookout for alternatives, and I fully expect next year’s reflection will be on a different platform. I will let you know if and when that happens, though it should be a painless transition when it comes.

So What’s Next?

Changing Schedule

First and most importantly, I will be changing my release schedule. For the last seven months I have posted one article every week. This has been a good pace for me, but I would like more room to explore other projects that support this newsletter. So I will be moving from a weekly to a bi-weekly schedule.

Regular articles will be coming out every other Friday, with the potential for shorter bonus articles in-between. I hope this will allow me to produce higher-quality articles, as well as work on other creative endeavors.

Adjusting Content

I also hope to cover a more even spread of topics, not just TTRPG reviews. My plan is to rotate topics so that I am covering TTRPGs, video games, and narrative puzzle games evenly. My goals are to:

1. Support small and independent creators

2. Make niche content accessible to the masses

3. Share my own creative projects

In the coming year I hope to refine that output so that I can provide something of value for everyone. Of course, if you want me to cover certain topics, or if you like something I share, please feel free to comment and let me know what you want to see more of!

New Projects!

Lastly, I have a few upcoming projects I hope to share with you in the coming year.

My brother and I are starting a fantasy & science-fiction book club in the form of a podcast. We have a handful of episodes recorded already and are in the process of editing them for public consumption. I will let you know when it drops and where you can find it!

I also have some TTRPG projects in the works that I hope to publish in the coming year. While I enjoy the writing I have been doing for the newsletter, I want to diversify my content a little and begin writing in other genres, with RPGs being at the top of that list! I am currently working on a short setting/adventure for the RPG MÖRK BORG that I hope some of my readers may enjoy in the coming months.

Happy New Year!

So that is the plan. Thank you all once again for your support this year, and I look forward to seeing you in the next!