Random Ramblings isn’t dead, at least not anymore. It was just waiting patiently to get resurrected.

Hello everyone! It’s been quite some time since the last Random Ramblings. There are so many things I want to talk about but I’d like to keep this at a relatively small size. 

Dungeon Master Jam

Yesterday I finished judging the last entries for the Dungeon Master Jam. I think I was a bit stricter than last time but, hopefully, this is for the better. If you point out possible issues to a designer there’s a greater chance it will get fixed. I guess I probably know the winner but I’ll wait patiently for the official announcement.

Top 100 RPG Blogs

Apparently the blog is now in the 27th spot on the Top 100 RPG Blogs list on Feedspot. That’s cool and all but I’m going to be honest with you. I had mentioned this list in the past on this column with some skepticism and this hasn’t changed at all. When I applied for a place on this list I was asked to pay some sort of subscription which seemed odd. If you pay to be on a list like that, it kinda feels that the list isn’t objective. I ended up not paying but recently I got an email congratulating me for being in the list.

Just because I want to be fair, the list seems to have changed a bit for the better. There are less random links to places that aren’t even RPG related and more links to blogs that I actually know of and sometimes like reading. But still, if you visit the site, don’t mind the place each blog has gotten because it doesn’t seem right.

ENnies 2018

Speaking of lists of RPG blogs, the 2018 ENnies nominees have been announced. I haven’t given a good look at the product lists but it’s nice to see blogs I know in the nominee list. I wish everyone good luck. Voting will be open from July 11, 2018 until July 21, 2018. And who knows, one day I could be a nominee myself.

 

Open Legend RPG

It’s still not here. Just to be clear, I’m not my intention hate on the Kickstarter. I’m just keeping track of the situation. Backers in the US have already started receiving their copies so that’s something positive. However, there has been an incident of a European backer receiving their book but having to pay customs fees. That is extremely weird because the project page clearly states that it’s EU friendly. I posted a comment asking for an explanation of that but I haven’t received any answer yet. That is something that greatly concerns me because I decided to back this project because it said it’s EU friendly. 

A shout out

I’d like to give a shout out to the Mystery Fantasy Dungeon 9000 podcast. To be honest, I can’t follow actual play podcasts easily. I’m more of a fan of talk show podcasts but I can’t even keep up with them at this point. However, I do try to listen to the episodes every now and then.  I have also joined the MFDK podcast discord server which is a nice place to hang out and talk about gaming. 

State of the blog

Since my father’s heart attack the blog had been in a state of semi hiatus. Then exam season can and made sure that it would stay like that for some more.

My father is doing very well but things at home are still a bit chaotic. Some things have changed and we need to get used to them. I have more responsibilities and that takes time from everything else I’m doing, including the blog.

My health is also not helping a lot. I don’t have anything serious but I have mentioned my eyesight issues. On top of that, I’m having some issues with my arms. Tasks like using the computer and writing are affecting my arms. Thankfully, my physiotherapy sessions help a lot but I’m trying to not overdo myself each day. Trying, however, doesn’t mean succeeding. There are so many things I need to do that involve using a computer that I usually overdo myself every day. At least I force myself to sit properly on the desk so that I don’t cause any more issues to my body.

Enough complaining, though. I’m back to writing and that helps me a lot mentally. I have a huge list of things I need to write about, including an insane amount of reviews, and I’m excited about it.

RPG Writing

Speaking of writing, I’m back to writing RPG content. If you don’t already know, I’ll be a guest designer in  a Kickstarter project. It’s the Bespoke Bestiary by Mithrilpunk Press. They asked me if I want to create a monster for them and I accepted right away. I like creating RPG content and chances like that shouldn’t be missed. I haven’t talked about details yet but I’ve already started doing some brainstorming and taking notes. I want to create something good so that will require a bit of time.

Moreover, there are some personal projects I’ve been working on when I get the time. All of them have been in hiatus since April but I’ve picked a couple of them and started messing with them again. I don’t want to bite more than I can chew so I’m going slow with them.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t start another collaboration project. Today was the first meeting that involved two hours of brainstorming and coffee. I’ll be working with Anastasios from The Random Encounter to create something for the DMs Guild. I won’t say any more at this point of time because nothing is solid yet.

I believe this post has gotten long enough. I’ve talked enough about random things, which is considered a success under this column. So that’s all for now and hopefully I’ll be back soon.

And until next time, have fun!