I just got back from our annual family vacation in Charlevoix, Quebec. If you’ve been following my writing for a while, you’ve probably seen me mention it before; it’s the kind of place that makes it hard to feel bad about anything. This trip involved kayaking, cycling on a tandem bike with my very talkative 8-year-old, a quantity of local cheese I am choosing not to put a number on, and enough cider and mead to make the cycling feel like an accomplishment rather than just exercise. I returned home rested, slightly rounder, and ready to get back to work.
(Currently on repeat while writing this: “Playground” by Bea Miller from the Arcane soundtrack. It has not left my rotation.)
Last time I asked what you were most looking forward to: the Kickstarter, Book 4, or the new series. The replies were great, and I’ve been sitting with them, along with a lot of other things, since then. I have some updates.
A Change of Plans
The World of Kiynan TTRPG books are in genuinely good shape. Our final playtesting session is a couple of weeks away, and I have to say, those sessions have been one of the highlights of this whole process. Watching people play in a world you’ve spent years building is something else entirely.
What I’ve been less convinced by, the more I sit with it, is the Kickstarter itself. Running a successful crowdfunding campaign is a second job in every real sense: the promotional lead-up, the backer communication, the fulfillment logistics. With everything else on my plate right now (a relatively new job, a very full family life), I had to be honest about what I actually have to give.
So I’m going to publish the books directly. No campaign machinery, no waiting periods, just the books available when they’re ready. It’s a quieter kind of launch, but the right one for where I am.
Book 4 Is Next
Once the TTRPG books are out, I know exactly where I’m going: The Vicissitudes of Varice.
These characters have been living in my head, very patiently, for longer than I’d like to admit. Edvard, everything quietly building in Varice between magic and what Spire is slowly becoming. If you’ve been following along, you know the threads; if you’re newer here, there’s a lot of good stuff waiting. Either way, I’m getting back to them, and I am genuinely, unreasonably excited about it.
The other concepts are still alive, just not the priority right now. One thing at a time (mostly). But this is the thing.
More on the TTRPG publishing timeline once I have something concrete to share. For now, I just wanted you to know where things stand.
Thanks for reading, and for the replies last time. They helped more than you might expect.
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