Dear heroes,
More progress! Now that I can focus on seacat again, it's actually going quite swiftly. Here's the big update:
I've started a changelog to track development. These are the things I still have to clean up and revise...
2021-03-31 11:38:51 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear heroes,
Cherry blossom season is nearly here, and you ... we ... number over 600. This is something I could never have imagined when I started this patreon back in 2016.
This journey has been both life-changing and inspirational and educational. I am certainly a better artist and writer now than I was when I began, and it is thanks to you. But, I think, I have also gained in hope and comprehension as a person, for which your support, thoughtful words, example, and instruction...
2021-03-18 13:33:56 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear heroes,
Fair greetings this March. Outside, even here in coldest Korea, the first flowers are blooming. I also see that our numbers continue to hover precariously around 600. The algorithms are warning me to market more, brand more.
Well, slowly, sure, perhaps.
The last couple of weeks have seen me getting a bit more rest and working a bit more slowly. Not having any urgent outside commitments has been a true boon, and I plan to keep that up a ...
2021-03-10 07:00:59 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear heroes,
This is a short, and slightly unplanned, post. I hope you will forgive me this abuse of your email inboces.
When I finally released Longwinter in December of 2020, I included a mention of the band Iced Earth in the musical appendix. I had forgotten that I had also included a quote from their lyrics in the referee book.
I was never a big fan of the band, but along with Blind Guardian (of which I am a big fan), it was one of the bands I listened to in the mid 90s ...
2021-02-26 23:27:08 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear heroes,
Yesterday I completed and submitted the text of Holy Mountain Shaker. Finally. It's still too long, and there will probably be some final editing, but the core of it is done. In the end, it took a lot of hacking and chopping to get it there. However, I've received approval from Gavin "Necrotic Gnome" Norman (as kind a fellow as one could meet), to release some of the extra content that didn't make the cut. Including:
Dear Heroes,
A pleasure to catch your attention again.
Yesterday a cold front pushed in and temperatures dropped hour by hour. Now, the morning here, there’s a dusting of snow coming down. This winter is long. Hah.
A block is a strange thing. As my anxiety about my work on Holy Mountain Shaker mounted, it’s importance both grew and diminished in my mind. My mind convinced me that my partners disliked what I was doing. It started whispering that everybody would hate it. O...
2021-02-16 02:50:17 +0000 UTC View PostHello, heroes.
I have finally encountered writer’s block.
Mine is a strange beast.
It is not that I cannot write, it is that I have agreed to write an adventure for Old School’s Essentials of 6,000 to 10,000 words, which also fits the terse style of OSE.
Digression.
It snowed last night. A crisp, powdery snow that’s blanketed th...
2021-02-04 03:04:09 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Heroes,
Without further ado: welcome to a simpler stratometaship patreon!
I've made the switch to monthly billing. I put it off pulling the switch and changing the toggle for weeks out of a feeling of inadequacy and uncertaincy [sic]. Well, no time left. Switch is pulled. I honestly am not sure if you will be / are billed for this month or not. It wasn't very clear, but it is what it is.
So, what else have we got this week?
I've shared...
2021-01-25 07:08:08 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear heroes, welcome to Week 2 of Year 202X!
It's been ... eventful. Distracting, even. But I'll try to stick to the stratometaship and maintain my celestial sanity, or at least an approximation of it.
This is just a quick update on two fronts relevant for the heroes:
1. changes to a monthly structure
2. the seacat illustrated rpg for UVG and beyond.
In the next few days I'll switch the stratometaship over to a monthly payment structu...
2021-01-14 10:34:52 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello, heroes.
Let 2021 be kind and gentle with you, may you find the fortunate moment to sit a while, bathed by sun and astounded at the beauty of the world around.
And failing that, may you just have a pretty dang good year.
Let those pictures, some new, some blue, some old, some used, give you joy.
I've pondered the structure of the patreon a fair bit at year's end and come to some conclusions:
a) I'll probabl...
2021-01-04 05:25:59 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear heroes,
I didn't know if I'd manage to do this one.
It's preparation was a bit of a secret, I didn't even know what to call it, until an anonymous hero called a completely different thing a "mini-adventure work" - a MAW - and I loved it and received permission to use the term.
This idea has been marinating in the background for a long, long time. It uses the gat token (yes, a recursive acronym) mechanic from seacat to give a roleplaying game a dramatic overlay. ...
2020-12-30 10:16:33 +0000 UTC View PostDear heroes,
Welcome to the times of the solstice. In the northern climes, the days will soon start getting longer, and we shall celebrate the celebrations we traditionally celebrate. It’ll be a bit odd this year, what with the restrictions and limitations abound us, but we will as we will. I wish you all a good season of cheer and good tiding.
I also come with news and questions.
2020-12-20 02:42:24 +0000 UTC
View Post
Dear heroes,
it* is done.
Attached please find:
Dear heroes,
Hello and welcome to this month of December. No excuses left, winter is truly here. I've prepared 10 illustrations from Longwinter for your use as wallpapers on screens or, if you print them out, the walls of your work-from-home halls.
Last week, after completing v0.99 of Longwinter, I gave myself a mild staycation. I could feel my energy and enthusiasm waning, an early symptom of the burnout blues I suspect, and I knew there'd be an after-project de...
2020-12-07 09:26:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Heroes,
First, a deep thank you for your patience and support in this strange winter that is come upon us. Second, a deep apology. I had thought to have seacat in a readier state by today, but I do not. I will explain all in course of words.
Finally. A year later than hoped, it is finished. At first, I thought I would do a small nip and tuck to the text, compleat it and then be ready to share it. In the end I realized it could do with a bit more art...
2020-11-27 14:47:39 +0000 UTC View Post
Seoul, Mid November, 2020
---//---
First, a public announcement:
The hexers of the cauldron of creation (over on the stratometaship discord) have completed their first zine: Tales From the Gastro Zone -- food magic, restaurant fights, and more. All free, all seacat and uvg-compatible. Check it out!
-...
2020-11-14 03:34:50 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Heroes!
This is a short post. It's past midnight of a Friday here and my wife has told me in no uncertain terms, "Finish whatever you plan to do this month tonight, because you're not working tomorrow."
Hence, here we are.
So, very briefly, what's the news?
1. Seacat
Well, the skills are basically done. And 66% of the abilities. And the stats. And, fine, I confess. Eventually it's going to be fully illustrated. Every page. I suggest y'all st...
2020-10-30 15:41:54 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello, good heroes! ••• Hello, kind stumble-by readers!
The month continues. News from the realm of the seacat, from the shores of the ultraviolet sea of grass, from the glowing reeds that greet the moon tonight.
Next week I'll post the next update of seacat. It should have the compleat character generation section, tho I confess the rules won't all be finished yet.
"Everything takes so much longer than we think."
I should just accept that as truth and m...
2020-10-22 08:13:36 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear Heroes!
TL;DR: Check out Seacat 0.6 for new art. Votbo 0.2 for new words. Dark Prologue 0.71 for new art and words.
The end of September is upon us. Another month, another revolution around the sun*. Time for the update.
As I warned: I'll update you, even if books refuse to be finishe...
2020-09-30 03:22:55 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello the heroes!
I think I missed last week's update in the ferment of writing and ripping things up—though some may have gotten through on the server.
I finally figured out the last big bit of the conflict rules. Thought to myself, "Ah, so pleasant, this September weather is decent, can go out for walks in the park again at last, all the annoying details figured out, now just to do the writing and complete the seacat and publish it and on to other things."
Great! Off we ...
2020-09-24 07:47:58 +0000 UTC View Post
But sometimes things are basically finished.
I think is UVG is finished enough now. I'd always planned to updated the free introduction to serve as a proper player guide for the UVG, something the cat (aka. the GM) can hand out to the other players to get them in the mood, to let them quickly imbibe some of the setting.
Some of the text is also significantly shortened from the UVG itself. So, all of you who have the full book, you're still totally definitively anti-canon. Could I ...
2020-09-08 09:31:49 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello heroes! Welcome to the temple of the k ... oh, no, welcome to Monday.
So, that really short Dark Prologue? Well ... I wanted to do it write, and now it's ... not short. Sigh. Look, I had the best intentions, but ... umm. It's also not finished yet, but it's month's end, so I'm posting it. As ready as it is. It is what it is. I'll finish it by this week's end, but right now I need to go get some lunch. It's nearly three.
I'm going to really briefly outline how the re...
2020-08-31 05:32:29 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear heroes!
This is a quick follow-up to the previous post, including weather, voting results, batteries, and a first look at Dark Prologue.
So, first the weather. Typhoon bavi pretty much missed Seoul, so nothing happened. Phew. Hope everyone else struggling against harsh weather does as well.
Then, second, voting results. Dark Prologue won! But, to make the bronze age aficionados happy—the setting is also quite ancient (this is somewhat optional, it should be easy to ad...
2020-08-28 16:12:11 +0000 UTC View Post
Wherein I talk about technical issues, weather, plague, the OSE kickstarter, and propose a poll of ideas to turn into an illustrated location or module.
***
Hello, heroes!
For the poll, go right to the end. For the rest, read on, bienvenido!
***
You may have noticed I haven’t posted or updated in a while. There is nothing serious the matter. I have simply taken my laptop to have its battery replaced. It has bee...
2020-08-25 03:32:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello the heroes!
I hope you've had a lovely week, I hope you're staying healthy and well. As I mentioned last week, I'll try update and share what's going on more often.
This week I don't have too much progress to share on Seacat ... at least not directly. If you've read the one spread overview in the pdf (p10-11), you'll have seen me talk about play loops.
The conceit here is that when we play roleplaying games we are playing (or acting) at several different levels (hah, a...
2020-08-07 11:08:33 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear heroes,
The end of the month has caught me again. Because of the way patreon charges for posts, I'm not sure if this post will be billed in July or in August. That means there are pretty good odds I make no money from patreon for the month of July because I'm too late uploading. It's happened before and it's really frustrating.
The fact is, this update isn't as done as I had hoped (but then it never is, is it?), which is why I'm posting it as v0.48. Quite simply, mak...
2020-07-31 01:23:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello, the heroes.
Greetings from the land of evermorning. I thought I'd be making this pre-announcement post earlier in the month, but as usual with best laid plans ... the road is dark and strewn.
So, why so slow?
Well, there were two big things to do:
Dear heroes of the stratometaship.
Welcome to a third of the way through July and a bit of a personal update.
These last few days have been a little harder than expected. I thought that after finishing the move and sorting everything in the new apartment, I'd be raring to get back to writing and arting. I planned to treat myself to a little side-trek, and you all to a bit of a surprise. I decide to take a week and get the haunted house adventure game-shape and ship it to you, befo...
2020-07-09 08:12:12 +0000 UTC View Post
Dear 503 Heroes!
Welcome to the end of June. I wasn't sure I'd get this post ready in time, but I barely staggered to this finish.
What a June.
* * *
First, a warm welcome to everyone who's joined us. We are now over 500. That is utterly incredible. It is utterly mind-boggling. I don't make 5E items or NPCs or easy to use maps ... I write mind-bent rpgs about strange heroes plumbing the edges of vast lands turned brittle and weird with...
2020-06-30 04:11:27 +0000 UTC View Post
First, let's be clear.
This week has been harrowing for all of us, both those close to the events in the USA, and those of us far away and foreign. This is not the fight and struggle of one nation alone. This is part of the fight and struggle of all humanity to recognize our own inherent common unity.
Racism is evil. Bigotry is evil. Sexism is evil.
Yes, we all are human, and the urge to stereotype and prejudice is within us all. So it is a battle within us all and of all of...
2020-06-05 08:52:22 +0000 UTC View Post