Pardon the Interruption

As you no doubt noticed, today was the first time since I started writing the SoTPR that I missed an entry without prior notice of a delay or day off. For that, I apologize. With the coming of spring to the lower New York area, so has come the annual battle in which my immune system is pitted against the forces of contagion, and contagion seems to be winning. I can only take solace in the knowledge that, as far as I can ascertain, it’s not the strain of swine flu that has arrived on the shores of New York which I’m engaged in combat with. Today was spent catching up on some much needed rest, so the opportunity to remark upon my absence has only now presented itself.

Since I’m coherent enough to write a bit before I lapse into slumber yet again, I need to take to this opportunity to reveal some information of the “good news, bad news” variety. Following tradition, we will start with the bad news.

The bad news is that, until the end of May, there’s going to be a slow down on this electronic fish-wrapper. I’m not going completely dark, but the Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule is most certainly going to be set aside for the next few weeks. There are a few reasons for this, some of which is the “good news,” but the primary one is that I’m feeling burned out about thinking of, writing about, and creating new material for the original role-playing game. Everybody needs some time off occasionally, and I’ve been running mostly without a hitch for nine months now – a time which has indeed gestated both some beautiful and horrific children of the mind. The time has come to take a step back and breathe some fresh air. I’ve even taken a sabbatical from my weekly gaming group to allow me to ponder other thoughts and dream new dreams about something other than dank dungeons for a little bit. Postings here for the next few weeks will still be role-playing related, but it’s time to explore new fields and focus less on game mechanics for a while. In addition, these posts will come when time and the creative process allows, rather than a predetermined schedule. Once we get past May, it is my hope to return to the M/W/F schedule with a refreshed mind ready for another foray back into the dungeon.

Now the good news: by suspending the regular blogging schedule, I hope to redirect some of that time into getting the Stonehell compilation moved closer to the finish line. I’m still not making any announcements as to when that might see completion but it hasn’t been neglected in the least. I’ve met and overcome a few issues with how I was going to compile the entire upper levels of the dungeon into one supplement, and those victories have removed some of the major stumbling blocks from my path. I’m going to balance my time between completing Stonehell and taking a breather from the constant design process. I think the end result will be much stronger because I’ll have avoided a crashing complete and utter burn out at the very end of it. I’ll keep folks posted as to the progress on that work as it comes along, just so you know I’m not neglecting it.

This blogging slow down is in no way effecting my participation in the One Page Dungeon Contest, which is approaching the midpoint for the deadline, by the way, and I am anticipating looking at what the contestants have to offer it. A few new prizes have been added since the original announcement, so if you haven’t checked it out recently, or you’re still on the fence about entering, go visit that link.

Finally, I see two big announcements coming over the horizon. I’m extremely excited about both of them but can’t even hint as to what they are. I’ll only state that this summer looks to be a very exciting time for both myself and fans of this blog.