I’m a big a fan of failure. The only guaranteed way to not fail is to not try anything new — which is, coincidentally, also the best way to avoid success. If you’re failing, it means you’re trying, which puts you two steps closer to success than you were before.
So yes, I’ve failed a bit this year. It was a year of trying new things, and not all of them resulted in what’s traditionally known as “success.”
- One Game a Month: In my defense, I’ve said since the first month that I was setting myself up for failure on this one. I adore the idea of creating a playable game (usually of the video variety) every 30 days, but in practice… It turns out I just didn’t have the time. I got a few games done (you can see them here), but I think I’ll be sitting out One Game a Month this year.
- Mind Strike: This tabletop RPG of psychics in a dystopian near-future America is technically done. It’s playable. It’s not horrible to read. But frankly, it’s not good enough to be considered a success. The psychic power system, which should be its beating heart, isn’t where it needs to be, and I haven’t had time to whip it into shape.
- Rusty Gulch: A year ago, I promised to deliver this all-ages webcomic of cowboys and robots in a post-apocalyptic western setting. A year later, I’ve delivered exactly nothing on that front. Oh, I registered RustyGulch.com, but beyond that… I’ve been busy.
So what’s been keeping me so busy this year? Well, those would be the other projects that dodged failure and went on to be my success stories of 2013:
- Karthador: This pulp sci-fi setting for Savage Worlds came out in its pre-release version at GenCon this year courtesy of its publisher, Reality Blurs. The game’s been a great success amongst those who’ve played it, and I expect to see the full release this year.
- Anointed: Mantle of the Gods: The fantasy RPG I’d been working on for Dark Skull Studios finally slipped free of its bonds this year and escaped into the wild. In the game, players take on the roles of iron age heroes who have been blessed by their gods with supernatural powers. Anointed has been a lot of fun to write, and you can get your own copy here if you’re interested in trying it for yourself.
- My Little Pony CCG: This has been the 800-pound, pastel-colored gorilla in my schedule for a big chunk of 2013. I have the privilege of leading the game’s design team for publisher Enterplay, and we were thrilled when the game hit retail in November. The game’s doing well with both brony and card-gaming audiences, so we must have done something right. As far as successes go, this one makes up for this year’s various failures.
So that’s it for 2013, gone and freshly-buried in our rear-view mirror. But what 2014? What possible failures await?
I’m… not sure. There will definitely be more ponies in my future. The Ghost Punchers property that I’ve been kicking around on the website is threatening to turn into a Real Project. And there are video game and tabletop game contracts on the horizon, both for game design and game writing. But rest assured, dear reader, that whatever the future holds, there will always be a chance of failure — and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
