Before I go into the "state of the union" regarding my affairs, here is my Kickstarter for PRIMORDIAL CHAOS: Gonzo Like A Fucking Boss. It's going to be a wild ride, so come join!
Taking over the family business after my Dad passed away about this time last year, and everything associated with that, such as spending more time with Mom, has taken a chunk out of my free time.
However, I've still been able to maintain a baseline of RPG productivity... even though the promotion aspect of my job - hyping up Kort'thalis Publishing and current projects - has declined. And the pendulum-swing of politics and culture war pushback against the woke, DEI, Socialist-left surprisingly (well, surprising to me) did not reach deep down into the tabletop RPG industry like I thought it would.
Our hobby, is still very much "progressive" and invoking my name on social media will likely get your posts locked, downvoted, or reported to the rainbow jackbooted authorities. Nevertheless, I remain hopeful. Those who've benefited from western civilization should one day realize the path their on, while also remembering that Communism doesn't really help anyone, except the Great Leader and his (or her) inner-circle of bureaucrats, along with their useful-idiot administrative thugs and propaganda personalities in the media.
This Ben Shapiro video was particularly insightful of what's in store for American politics and the stakes for our entire world.
So, what does this have to do with gonzo? After 5 years of developing and 2 years of running a super-gonzo campaign in the world of Cha'alt, I've discovered RPG secrets the vast majority of gamers - even those who do love and run gonzo sessions - don't even know exist. And those tips, tricks, and techniques I've found are not just applicable to those pursuing high-weirdness, but every GM hoping to run an extraordinary game.
A guide to gonzo even won my Twitter / X poll. Yeah, it's still niche as all Hell, but this is something people want, that people can use. Unfortunately, for reasons named and unknown, I'm just not pulling the numbers. My reach has diminished, my influence waning, sales down, convention barely breaking even - even though I feel like my creative powers and technical achievements are at their height, I'm struggling to cross the $5k Kickstarter finish line. WTF, hoss?!?
But even if I make zero or, let's face it, much less than zero doing this RPG thing, I'm still going to keep doing it, under the radar - even if I have to use A.I. art or my own colorful scribbles. Recognition would be nice, but maybe that'll come later, like H.P. Lovecraft. Things are cyclical, and I'm hoping this is the low-point from which I come back. You never know...
Regardless, I hope you'll back this Kickstarter because it's got a lot of awesome things going for it - gonzo, hyper-immersion, random tables, kickass artwork from real artists, a Cha'alt adventure, and if things go well, more of the Lavender Moons digital-comic.
Thanks for your continued support. Will try to get the session report for yesterday's game done tomorrow... but realistically not until Tuesday. Busy, busy, busy...
VS
p.s. I don't even know why I'm bothering to type this post-script, as I haven't sold a hardcover Cha'alt book (other than last month's VENGER CON) in months... oh yeah, that's actually a reward on the KS campaign. Sweet!
Was there a reason for that particular goal amount? The previous one was lower. I know you're including more artists on books now and obviously Jae is one of them, and that costs something. But being this is a pdf release, couldn't you have set the goal lower? I like the idea of "Go big or go home," but if you can get by with lesser amounts and still succeed and make it profitable, maybe that's the way to go for a future project. I still say you should add as many of your pdfs as add-ons as possible. Put those awesome files to work. Pimp 'em! 🦯💃💃🏼
ReplyDeletePlan C was going to be A.I. art and adjust the funding goal to $1,000. Art has gone up significantly, so I'm looking at commissioning 3 pieces of art from Yannick, which would cost about $2k.
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