Strange Currencies

When you’re working with one particular game system for an extended period of time, you can be aware of what’s going on peripherally without being fully AWARE. This is neither a good thing or a bad thing, it’s just a thing. Obviously, mastering the system you’re working with (and I do mean working with in a professional sense) is paramount to success, otherwise you’re going to have all sorts of imbalances and oddities floating around. That being said, it doesn’t do you any good to be an ostrich with your head in the sand, not fully grasping the trends and developmental streams going on around you. Over the past year, I relaxed a bit to play a lot of other games I may not have otherwise done. While I had read various iterations of FATE, I had never gotten to actually play until the last year where we tried a handful of permutations of them, and I sat on both sides of the table. I was player and I was GM. I got to play FIASCO which definitely appeals to me, but it’s its own sort of animal. All these experiences and influences can deepen and enrich your understanding of your own design chops, but I wouldn’t recommend a heavy diet of lots of games starting out. You need to focus on a system before expanding outwards.

That being said, I’m working on some interesting development for some systems I’ve not touched in an official capacity before. It’s exciting and challenging, but I’m better prepared for it than I’ve ever been before. As always, we’ll take our time until we get it right where we want to be before unleashing it on an unsuspecting audience, but you can be assured for a fresh spin on things, rather than a tired, old rehash.

These are the things I think about in between the larger projects and established properties we have.

Until next time, I bid you, dear reader, adieu!