The 2013 Gaming Resolutions

Here we are with twelve brand-spankin’ new months ahead of us. Naturally, it’s time to make resolutions for the coming year. I’m going to keep mine short, simple, and realistic so as not to disappoint myself too greatly in 365 days. Therefore, my gaming resolutions for the coming year are:

1) Finish Stonehell 2: I’ve made a great deal of progress on the book in the past several weeks and the three-year-long delay is finally being defeated. I’m finishing up Level 9 at the moment, leaving me with just four more quadrants to complete before the most daunting portion of the book is conquered. I remain hopeful I can debut the book at Gary Con V, but will settle for unleashing it in June at NTRPG Con if things go amiss. Regardless of actual release date, this is the year it escapes into the wild and I can cross it off my “to do” list.

2) Keep writing: Like academia, freelancing is strictly “publish or perish.” My workload in 2012 grew larger and I intend to exceed what I did this year in 2013. I’ve got some scheduled projects already and a few pitches in the air that I’m waiting on responses to. There’s also a post-Stonehell project of my own which I intend to get out there this year. I’ll have more on that in the near future.

3) Broaden the scope of my design work: Most every writer and designer wants to prove their talents are applicable across a wide field and that they’re not limited to a single system or genre. I’m best known for my old school fantasy RPG material, but I want to do more with different games and genres. The game I did for Goblinoid Games that should see print in 2013 is a step in the right direction, but I hunger to do more. This desire will hopefully take me out of my comfort zone, but that’s the only way to grow and to build a reputation for versatility. Hopefully, this is the year I make that break.

4) No more damned miniature buying until I get some figs off the damned worktable: A refrain everyone who dabbles in painting minis is no stranger to. I don’t especially need more figures and I’ve got enough to keep me busy throughout the year. Once the backlog gets hewn away at, then I’ll consider future purchases.

5) Run games: Outside of the convention scene and a few pick-up one-shots this year, I played more than I refereed, and that’s not what I enjoy most about this hobby. I’ve got three campaigns in mind for 2013. One is Pathfinder’s “Kingmaker” Adventure Path, which I started, but never got a chance to finish. The second is Gamma World, a game I often dabble with, but never get off the ground. The third is a playtest campaign for my new project. The “Kingmaker” and Gamma World campaigns are symptomatic of my wish to step away from the dungeon-centric game and get back to the hexcrawl. Once Stonehell 2 is done, I need wide-open spaces and exploration on a geographic scale. I’m itching to world-build, and both those games will give me the opportunity to do so.

That’s it. Although apparently short and simple, those are pretty sizeable goals for the New Year, ones that will occupy a lot of my time. But I’m happiest when I busiest and these five look like the makings of a pretty happy 2013 to me.