What I'm doing (July)

Before I start, let me know what I should write about in the future. Here are some options…

What I’m doing

I finished the scenario-writing section of Cosmic Dark, which means I have a rough draft of the whole book! I’m excited and it’s a milestone. That said, there’s a long way to go, with editing and layout still to come.

When the book’s finished, it’ll start with a mini-campaign of six scenarios, with the rules explained during the scenarios. Then you get a summary of the rules, then guidance on how to write and play Cosmic Dark stories.

Once I’d written Cosmic Dark, I took a break to write Murder Cards. Yes, I still need a better name. It’s a short, fun game, in which you tell the story of a murder mystery and discover who the murderer was. It feels like something new for me: it’s a storytelling game but not a roleplaying game.

I’m also writing music for Ain’t Slayed Nobody’s run of Cosmic Dark. More about that at the end.

Here’s a mock-up of Cosmic Dark, with cover art by Paul Bourne and cover design by Nic Rosenberg. I’ve scattered some prototype cards for Murder Cards around it.

And here’s a subscription button. If you haven’t subscribed, would you do that now? Thanks!

Here’s a discount

Since I’m talking about murder, here’s a link to get my game A Taste For Murder at half-price (three dollars).

What I’m playing

Having finished The Railways, a long and wonderful history of train travel, I’ve been flitting from book to book.

In fiction, I wanted to explore pulp, so I’ve been reading Tarzan of the Apes. I’m learning a lot from the fights especially, which are short and exciting. I’m also dipping into Emily St John Mandel’s The Glass Hotel, which is hard to describe, so I’ll call it a time-hopping narrative that keeps jumping between characters and stories.

I’d love to read about highwaymen and smugglers, but I can’t find a good history. I may reread Frank McLynn’s Crime and Punishment in Eighteenth Century England, which is old but good, and there’s also Gregory Durston’s Whores and Highwaymen. Any recommendations welcome!

What I’m playing

We’re taking a break from Vaesen, so next week we’ll play Ten Candles, which I’ve wanted to try for a while. I’ll tell you how it goes.

On the Switch, I’ve played two games that take interesting approaches to interactive fiction: The Mask of the Rose and Harmony: Fall of Reverie. Both are ambitious and fascinating.

The Mask of the Rose has three different ways to explore the narrative: you can recall things, you can craft stories and you can talk to people in London. These interact with each other, so that you can recall things, then talk to people about what you recall. It’s set in the Fallen London universe, which hasn’t always drawn me in, but here the writing is beautiful.

Harmony: Fall of Reverie lets you see the branching structure of its narrative and choose paths through it. This sometimes feels mechanical, although it’s interesting. What I really liked were the choices: they take you beyond “Good” or “Evil” options, into options that favour “Chaos”, “Power” and so on. This is fun, especially when you face unexpected choices (e.g. choosing between someone’s happiness or bonding the community together).

What’s coming up

Next weekend, I’ll run games for the online convention A Weekend With Good Friends, including Cosmic Dark and a one-off Christmas scenario. Game sign-up has finished, but spots might open up, so head to the Discord if you're interested.

I’m excited about Ain’t Slayed Nobody’s run of Cosmic Dark, which starts soon. They’ll release a one-shot game, Extraction, followed by the full mini-campaign later this year. Running this was an amazing experience and the cast were superb.

That’s all I have for this month! Tell me what you’d like me to write about and I’ll do my best to do it.