Early Riser (Patreon)

I’m at CONvergence this weekend, and was on three different panels yesterday, plus a writer meet-up. While I was geeking out about Andor and reassuring newer GMs that running a game for your friends isn’t scary and it’s okay to make mistakes sometimes Shallow Graves hit silver on STV, which is fantastic.

When I was younger, I used to shut down the parties less because I was some kind of party animal than because I kept late hours as a matter of course. There are considerably fewer distractions at 1 or 2 in the morning, which let me get lots of writing done. After my kids were born, I couldn’t really do that anymore. Now I find I’ve become the kind of person who doesn’t even set an alarm to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed before 5am on a Saturday. The reason I do it is the same, though. The kids usually sleep in until 7 or 8, which gives me a couple of hours to write before Minecraft and the YouTube Shorts begin.

So, it’s not shocking that I was sitting at a table in the deserted gaming hall with my laptop open at 5:30 this morning working on Black Vans. What was I writing exactly? Remember that bit in Clades Companion about how otherworlds are supposed to be scary and dangerous, so maybe going to one isn’t the best way to escape the Web of Pain? This morning’s project was unpacking that with mechanics for visiting alien places for an extended period of time. From interacting with aliens to bringing your shotgun into Dark Ages Europe (or your personal Middle Earth homage).

Anyway, lunch is done, so I should head back to the con.