The Odyssey: A Raven & River Journaling Game offers a fusion of literary exploration and personal reflection. Homer's epic poem is ripe for introspection. This fosters a connection to the themes of heroism, resilience, and the human condition, echoing the enduring appeal of the original work across cultures and epochs.

I recognize that some of the choices in this list may seem a bit obvious, but I believe they fulfill the expectations of certain a certain set of people. It's important to note that this list is intended as a starting point, not a definitive canon. You’re encouraged to explore and incorporate music that resonates with your own narratives and creative vision.

A few days ago I posted an example of a beat chart, which included the difficulty of challenges based on the point in the story where they take place. It’s a series of prompts for gamemasters to build adventures on; not quite fill-in-the-blanks, but add your own characters and contexts to get the story to flow logically without railroading players into a single path to fulfilling their goals.

Why am I taking this approach? Because representation matters, and coded representation isn’t full representation. Carving out a special niche for certain groups of people isn’t inclusion. Trying to be sly about things is performative and frequently dishonest. Because trying too hard often ends up falling into the trap of misappropriation, the exact opposite of what I’m trying to accomplish. Worrying about people who are against diversity and inclusion getting upset only leads to less diversity and inclusion, so the offended parties are invited to sit down and shut up. 

I will probably repeat this list for every project I work on going forward, with slight variations. All of the simple “approach values”, whether they’re expressed as the Black Box Manifesto or framed as lo-fi or punk DIY, remain intact. It comes down to this:

Another feature of The Suspicion Engine that will debut in Ghostlight are the tools provided for adventure design. Basically, there are reusable beat charts that outline a variety of story types. You can also create your own beat charts with the information provided.

Ghostlight introduces a new system dubbed The Suspicion Engine, which I'll examine more in upcoming posts. Here's a quick rundown of its mechanics.

You’re a theater student, and you’re here because you have talent. Who you were before, who you still are outside of the college, why you’ve worked so hard to get here and what you’re willing to do to remain are more important than special abilities.

The primary setting is the performing arts college, esteemed for its alumni, including famous actors, directors, and producers in theater and film. For some, it’s where you go when you can’t get into Julliard. Despite its reputation for being haunted and the superstitions among students and faculty, there's no overt paranormal activity. Not overtly.

Today I want to talk about the influences that led me to create Ghostlight. From Shakespeare to Dark Shadows, Universal Monsters to Murder, She Wrote, many different things came together to form the basis of this Gothic dark academia roleplaying game. 

In creating Ghostlight, my aim has not just been to create a game, but to release a setting that supports storytelling, intrigue, and mystery within the hallowed halls of a secluded New England performing arts college. My overarching design principles stand, guiding every aspect of development. Today I want to revisit those principles and talk about how they apply to this project.

Ghostlight invites you into a realm of dark academia, where Gothic intrigue thrives. Set within the walls of a prestigious private performing arts college nestled in a seaside New England town, your characters immerse themselves in the world of theater. But beneath the surface of this seemingly ordinary setting lies a tapestry of mysteries waiting to be unraveled. Can they peel back the layers of secrets shrouding the school, the town, and its inhabitants?

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.

Lux Adversaria is a series of informal essays where I delve into different aspects of roleplaying. "Adversaria" refers to "miscellaneous writings" in Latin, representing my personal collections of notes and reflections. The term "lux adversaria" roughly translates to "light of adversity," reflecting my exploration of challenges and difficult topics.

DoubleZero is not selling as well as other material. This is not a recent trend, so obviously, hitting pause to regroup and rethink the future of the line is the best thing to do. The final two titles in this iteration of the line will be released next week.

The purpose of the Lux Adversaria series is to share insights I’ve gathered over [cough] decades. While revisiting old notes, articles, and blog posts, as well as perusing binders filled with ideas, I stumbled upon some new epiphanies, or perhaps rediscovered truths I had previously overlooked.

Having to write a million papers during my academic journey gave me the tools to organize my thoughts and evaluate ideas. My roleplaying notes honestly look like these papers, and a lot of the Lux Adversaria essays are almost verbatim, but cleaned up for public consumption. Go study theology, become a technical writer, and then get a business degree and see how your writing style turns out.

When I sat down to figure out what I wanted to achieve with this series, my first thought was that I wanted an umbrella line to write about roleplaying from a meta-position. There are bits of analysis, observations I’ve made, tools, and processes I’ve put together. In my mind, it’s a replacement for / improvement on the system-neutral toolkit idea that’s been the backbone of Lightspress since Day One.