Welcome to 2018!

As is my way, I woke this morning in a reflective mindset but determined to look forward toward 2018. The words I wrote at the beginning of 2017 echo clearly: “this post is an opportunity to discuss hopes“.

As before, I’d like to elucidate on the three topics that this blog tends to focus upon:

• writing
• spirituality
• roleplaying

We also keep rats but I haven’t really written much about that topic, although my wife did back in 2014. Perhaps I should write more about the rats. Hmm.

Writing

As 2017 opened, I had just submitted the manuscript for “The Terror of Ettinmarsh” – an adventure for Classic Fantasy – and I asked some questions:

What will it feel like to have my adventure in print? Will I be invited to write more? Can I spread my wings to other types of writing?

It felt brilliant to see my work become “real” – meaning printed – in May! Honestly, that was the high-point in my year. The work that began as a doubtful proposal back in 2016 had been accepted, written, edited, submitted, edited, re-written, edited, laid out, edited, and published. Despite frustrations and worries and delays, it still lights me up to re-visit that achievement! Thank you to Rodney Leary for believing in me and to Lawrence Whitaker for giving me a chance.

Was I invited to write more? Yes. I’m editing my way through the follow-up module to the first and I’m also contracted to finish off and edit a third adventure set outside of Mystamyr. Again, I am incredibly grateful and excited to be working on these projects.

Can I spread my wings? Probably… but that is yet to be seen. The main thing is that I continue to write and that at least two of my ideas are deemed worthy for potential publication. That’s a nice hopeful start!

Spirituality

As with 2016, the last year saw me attend church once and a very fitful prayer life. That said, spirituality has been very present in my life… a factor which clearly (at least for me) delineates the distinction between religious and spiritual behaviours.

I hope to attend church more often in 2018. I hope to establish again a daily prayer rule. I aim to share some of the spiritual insights that my ever-creeping age have afforded me.

Of course, being a classroom teacher of religious education, my main outlet for sharing such thoughts is during the day job. Maybe that’s why I stopped writing spiritually focused posts. Those old posts are, however, the most visited on the blog. Yes, really.

Roleplaying

Aside from writing for roleplaying (covered above), I also Games Master roleplaying games. The past year has seen me dive head-first into the worst period of negativity surrounding my hobby since… well, that I can remember. I almost gave it all up.

There are three avenues of play: Friday Night Roleplay; the school Old School Roleplay Club; solo play.

Friday Nights

From January 5th, I plan to run Friday Nights differently. Initially, I am aiming to run a one-shot two-session (max) SF scenario written for the number of players able to commit to that session and the one after. Right now, that’s looking like four players which (if all attend) would be the largest group on a Friday night in half a year or more! This is a massively hopeful start!

From there, I aim to plan sessions around confirmed attendance. Obviously, illness and childcare emergencies can arise… but, generally, I’m asking players to commit to playing. If we can confirm a string of dates or a regular attendance pattern, I’ll consider running a short campaign. If not, I’ll run one-shot adventures. I’m keeping it simple.

Old School Roleplay Club

The club has around 18 or so regular players but I expect the attendance to drop from the New Year as the Year 10/11 students focus on revision for exams. It’s always a shame to lose them (as I firmly believe gaming is a fine diversion from over-working) but I have to expect it.

Actually, I am hopeful that I can continue to “get out of the way”. The guys have four GMs and, with three remaining, they don’t need me cluttering up the place. They’re all enjoying Dungeons & Dragons (5th) and I see no reason to bother them. I’ll just need to occasionally push the “promotion” buttons to recruit new players… especially come September. See how far ahead I plan stuff?

Solo Play

This is the biggy for me and the place I am most hopeful in 2018. Honestly, I’ve been focused on solo play as a means to either learn new game systems or to showcase ideas. In 2018, I aim to take my solo play private with a focus on playing stuff I just want to play.

I have a notebook. Actually, I have two notebooks. They are earmarked for hand-writing… well, notes. Instead of writing a detailed record of the blow-by-blow interactions between the story and the game, I’m going to just record the story as it unfolds. Instead of posting these accounts online, I’m going to keep them offline. Oh, and I have decided on no expectations for campaign play either: if a game continues, it’s a campaign; if not, it’s a one-shot. I honestly don’t care either way.

This is gaming just for me. My ideas. My play time.

Doesn’t that sound good?

Game on!