A Big Life Change, a Small Schedule Change: Four items a week? (Patreon)

Hey adventurers! I had a great time seeing so many of you at PAX Unplugged on Friday: thank you for stopping by and chatting with me! I've already had the pleasure of asking you this question in person, so this post will come to those of you as no surprise.

A Brief Aside: I'll be taking two weeks off next month, probably from the 12th to 26th. More information to come in the near future as our plans solidify.

Bottom Line Up Top: My life partner and I are moving from our US home to the Netherlands in a month. To field the new challenges that await us, I'd like to reduce my weekly item schedule to 4 items, taking off Wednesdays, starting in the new year. I'm looking for your (honest) opinions on how this would affect or potentially shake your support of the Saddlebag.

TL;DR: There's a poll at the bottom of this post that asks for your thoughts on how a shift to four items a week would impact your opinion of the Saddlebag and your support of it. No wrong answers! Comments are left open for you to discuss. Please no arguing: if someone doesn't agree with you, that's okay. I promise you don't need to reply and defend my honor—honest. Just write a separate comment with your thoughts instead!

Leading up to this life shift has been hectic and challenging and emotional. As we prepare to leap into this new phase of our lives together, we find ourselves grieving a lot of what we love and the comfort of, well, our comfort zone.

To that point, I would be a poor partner if I continued working the hours I always have, just in a different place; I would functionally be leaving her more alone than she's ever been before, isolated across an ocean, for five days a week. Furthermore, we need to tackle a whole new set of practical challenges together: refurnishing a new home from scratch, handling (surprise) paperwork and documentation, and emotionally resettling and finding a community. It's going to be a tremendous amount of physical and emotional work, the sort of work that I can't comfortably leave to do on the weekends (or that can't be done then).

This is the turning point that a lot of creators eventually find themselves in: what's the most important thing in our lives? The fulfilling work, or our relationships? As creators we throw ourselves headfirst into making new and exciting things for the game(s) we love, and as a result often fall negligent to the work needed to maintain healthy relationships. I'm so grateful that my partner and I have the relationship that we do, and I want to ensure that I can continue to work on that as hard as I do with the Saddlebag. By reducing my weekly responsibility to four items, I open myself up to be more flexible as a partner, but also to maintaining my monthly responsibilities. You may have noticed that I owe you a pair of subclasses and setting still: they're finished, just not formatted and made ready for you yet. With a little extra breathing room in the week, I'll be able to continue delivering your rewards on time while having the freedom to live with my partner, who was the one to suggest I make daily items in the first place. I owe her everything, so I want to make sure our lives together can reflect that.

But I also know that you're the ones that make this possible! And thank you for it: your generosity and support continue to be life-changing, so I want to ensure you still feel compensated under a new schedule. I don't know what I'd post on Wednesdays, if anything, but whatever this revised schedule looks like, I want to open the floor up to you to say your piece about it!

Thanks for reading this far, I appreciate your attention and care, and cherish your consideration of us over on this side of the keyboard.

In summary, please use the poll below to leave your feedback on what a four-item Saddleweek feels or looks like to you. Again, this new schedule would take effect at the start of next month. No wrong or unwelcome answers: your support means your voice has merit, and I want to hear it! If someone disagrees with you, don't reply to it with an attack: submit a separate comment with your opinion instead.

I'll leave this poll open for the next two weeks. Thank you all for your support, time, and consideration!

Keep on adventuring!

-g