The following is an excerpt from Dreams of the Midnight Kingdom. Happy Pride, everyone!

The setting of the Midnight Kingdom examines profound themes of gender, love, and marriage, prompting characters to confront and redefine traditional constructs of masculinity and femininity while asserting their individual agency within the confines of societal expectations. This exploration adds layers of complexity to the narrative, inviting players to immerse themselves in a world where gender roles are fluid, love knows no bounds, and the institution of marriage is subject to scrutiny and reinterpretation.

Roger Corman has passed away at the age of 98. His fearless independence and strategic prowess in navigating the film industry have taught me invaluable lessons about creativity, resourcefulness, and mentorship. Corman's legacy is a testament to the impact one visionary can have on shaping an industry and inspiring future generations.

I won't be making any further refinements to the DoubleZero or Fantasy Manifesto systems. You’re welcome. I aim to progress forward, rather than endlessly circling back.

As evidenced in the saga of the logo, I haven’t always made creative choices that align with my values. Sometimes, those decisions were concessions to the "community," under the assumption that no one would buy the book unless certain things were included, even if they compromised the integrity of the work. Consequently, the book falls short of its potential because I lack faith in the broader audience's ability to appreciate its uniqueness.

When I dissect campaign design, you'll find it boils down to two key components: a setting that provides characters with things to do and motivations to do them. That's it. Whether you opt for a sandbox approach or prefer the structured framework of a three-act storyline, the fundamentals remain the same.

In my view, the essence of roleplaying mechanics lies in their ability to prevent disagreements among players. Without a solid framework or guidelines, storytelling can quickly devolve into chaos, with players contradicting and challenging each other's actions and outcomes. That's why we rely on tools like dice or playing cards to clearly indicate success, failure, and sometimes the degree of each. This structured approach helps maintain harmony and fairness.

If it were just my feelings at play, I might have let it slide. Oh, and the blog is now called The Light of Day, rather than The Day-To-Day. It’s been right there all along, I have no idea how I missed something so obvious

This is my revised list of design principles for character creation going forward. Some of it has already existed unspoken, and has been inconsistently followed, but I’m here to codify it.

Today I want to discuss my restructured and mildly revised approach to setting and lore. This will impact all roleplaying projects I create going forward, although it's been an unspoken and inconsistently followed design principle for a while.

Let’s keep this short and sweet. As tired as I am of revising the logo, it had to be done. Hopefully, this is the final pass.

Going forward, when designing a new roleplaying project, I will consider these principles to ensure accessibility and engagement, particularly addressing the hobby’s common barriers to entry. Some of these are practices I already engage in, a few have simply been codified or reworded, but all of them form a minimum standard for a Lightspress release.

This week marks a pivotal moment for Lightspress as I announce a temporary hiatus for the Foragers Guild product line. After tomorrow’s final Faction releases, I’ll be taking a break. In the coming weeks, DoubleZero will follow suit, after the Professions series is complete, allowing me to dedicate my focus to new projects, both large and small.

My friend Daniel, the talented author behind Thru-Hiker, introduced me to the world of journaling games. In case you're unfamiliar, journaling games are a blend of storytelling and personal reflection. They typically involve prompts that inspire you to write journal entries from the perspective of a fictional character or within a specific setting.

My initial books were based on tools I had developed for my own use—tips, tricks, and checklists to aid in creating other content. My goal was simplification, not dumbing down. I possess decades worth of notes, observations, and advice that I haven't shared because a significant portion of the roleplaying community prefers more of the same, delivered in easily digestible formats. Ironically, these same individuals then lament the repetitiveness without recognizing the irony.

Throughout my writing career, I've often been pressured to dumb down my work. Not simplify; dumb down. There’s a marked difference. Some blame it on the average age of RPG enthusiasts, citing that the typical American reads at a 6th-grade level. It's disheartening to think about how many folks give up on reading altogether after school. Recent articles even suggest that younger generations struggle with spelling and punctuation due to their reliance on texting and social media. And don't even get me started on schools ditching phonetics in favor of sight reading. It's a mess.

I've realized that I need to prioritize my well-being and creative fulfillment over chasing after certain projects that no longer align with my goals. In the face of this burnout, I've made some decisions about the future of my work.

Theme is another one of those aspects where people either understand what I’m doing, or it feels like they never will. A few people seem outright repulsed by the idea, given the reactions I’ve received from the very first book on theme in roleplaying that I published through my Great Gatsby hack.

The question I get asked most is why. They want to know why I seem so obsessed with the idea that theme is an essential element for roleplaying. My answer is simple; I like my adventures to be about something.

I know you’re probably tired of my experimenting with pricing and want me to land on something already. We’re getting closer, and I want to add some transparency to my thought process here.