The Newsletter | 3 May 2026
Welcome to the Newsletter
Removing Legacy Roleplaying from the Shop
I will still be removing legacy titles from the Lightspress shop at the end of May. There have been so many inquiries about this that I’ve written not one, but two posts about it.
For the most part, these pieces reiterate and expand upon the points made in the last newsletter, with the latter post adding a point. To summarize:
This is work that I’m no longer physically and mentally capable of doing anymore.
This work isn’t profitable, and therefore not the best use of my time.
This isn’t something I want to do anymore for creative reasons.
I don’t currently feel safe having some of this content available.
A Return to DriveThruRPG… Sort of
Select titles are being re-added to the DriveThruRPG page, no more than 2-3 per week. This is the current compromise between closing the shop, people asking for us to return to that venue, and keeping older titles available. Every single title is reviewed for compatibility with the Canonica to avoid confusing/competing iterations. The books that are a) the most popular and b) need the least revision will reappear first.
Please don’t ask me what’s coming back, or bombard me with requests; as I will inevitably state repeatedly, my cognitive function is such that I can’t deal with anything beyond what’s directly in front of me at the moment. The object is to keep the business running while reducing the number of moving parts I’m able to deal with. Something might feel counterintuitive to you, but understand that they make sense to me.
This Week’s New Releases
New releases are currently restricted to 3-page scenarios, as the ongoing process of assessing my current capabilities continues. The scenarios are included for paid Patreon members and available for sale individually in both the Lightspress shop and on Patreon.
A few people have asked about print anthologies. I considered doing a monthly collection, but was talked out of it by people concerned about my current workload. The current thinking is that when we reach 100 scenarios, we’ll do a print anthology.
Plus One
A last-minute invitation places a woman in the role of a friend’s partner at a wedding where everyone assumes a shared history that doesn’t exist. Introductions solidify into expectations, and every interaction tests whether the arrangement can hold together. Family scrutiny, past relationships, and tightly managed spaces turn a simple favor into a shifting situation where perception drives consequences. As the event unfolds, decisions about what to maintain, reveal, or abandon reshape how others respond and what remains possible once the night ends.
Behind the Curtain of Giants
A research team studies entities that exist just beyond ordinary perception, working inside a controlled facility where observation begins to break down under pressure. Data shifts, instruments contradict one another, and the subjects appear to respond without revealing clear intent. As access tightens and oversight increases, internal divisions deepen over whether to continue the study, attempt contact, or enforce stricter containment. Each action alters the conditions of the next, pulling researchers, security, and external authorities into a system where knowledge carries risk, and control depends on information that won’t hold steady.
The Calm Before Contact
An envoy works to hold a fragile political system together as an unknown external presence begins to press in, altering communication, perception, and trust. Messages fracture, authority strains, and every faction acts to secure its position before contact becomes unavoidable. Every decision weighs heavily, and a single exchange can stabilize the moment or accelerate it toward collapse. The situation unfolds through a series of shifting signals, contested information, and rising fear, as the conditions for first contact take shape before anyone can fully define what's approaching.
Guarded Ground
A woman under threat lives inside a system built to keep her alive, where every movement is controlled, and every decision carries risk. The man assigned to protect her manages shifting routines, incomplete information, and pressure from all sides, balancing protocol against judgment as conditions change. Their constant proximity turns necessity into reliance, and reliance into something harder to separate from the work itself. As authorities, observers, and the threat adapt to each adjustment, safety and autonomy pull against each other, forcing choices that reshape the situation and the connection at its center.
A Debt to the Dead
A young woman finds herself bound to a powerful presence from beyond the ordinary world, a connection that reshapes her life with every step she takes. As others seek to use, study, or sever the bond, she’s pulled into a tightening web of demands, expectations, and risk. Each decision deepens the connection, narrowing her options while drawing more attention from those who see her as a gateway, a threat, or a solution. What begins as an obligation becomes a defining force, building toward a choice that will either secure her place within the bond or leave nothing of her untouched.
Coming Attractions
At present, thinking about long-form content confuses and overwhelms me. Things like anthologies of scenarios and collections of articles and essays work because an editor can piece them together. I do want to get back to work on settings, and we’ve devised an outline that complements the Canonica rules perfectly. If I say so myself, it’s a smooth, streamlined, and user-friendly way of presenting setting information. The added benefit is that I can work on these in sections without becoming overwhelmed. The first of these will hopefully begin appearing in the coming weeks.
Story at the Table
Story at the Table is the umbrella category for all of my current roleplaying work. Articles are available for free on lightspress.com, Substack, and Patreon. In addition to posts supporting the Canonica, there are two series running, each dropping at least one post per week.
Nothing Left to Add
This is my deconstruction of Dungeons & Dragons, based on a read-through of the 2024 Player’s Handbook. I assert that D&D is complete, and all new at this point is simply a rehash of old material. I also look at the lingering problems with both the system and the mindset behind it, and push my biased opinions on how narrative roleplaying solves them.
Forging Ahead
This series of articles revisits The Forge, the late, lamented indie RPG site that questioned everything about roleplaying design and theory and tried to advance the hobby. It remains a strong influence on my own work. Every week, I take a look at one of the foundational articles to see if it’s still relevant today and how the ideas expressed might be put into action in the current environment.
The Narrative Core
The Narrative Core is a free Substack where I talk about writing, books, and film. It’s not roleplaying game content, but I see it as roleplaying-adjacent. I post at least once a week, often daily if I have a lot to say.
How to Help
As I get a new workflow in place and continually assess my capacity realistically, your support continues to be appreciated.
Buy things from lightspress.com, until I shut it down to streamline the site and behind-the-scenes operations.
Join Patreon as either a free or paid member.
Subscribe to my Substack publications if those interest you.
Leave comments, share posts, tell people, and help me build an audience in these new places.
You are appreciated.
