The Solo Gamer Companion

It has been a little while since my last update. I have an excuse!

I have been working on this program for a couple of weeks now. A lot of effort has gone into it, and I will probably never be able to let anyone else use it. I have (so far): a fully featured Mythic interface, including adjustable event focus, a notes page, a dice roller, the Universal NPC Emulator, an Instant Game generator. All of these things integrate with the primary text window, which is meant as both an output for the various solo aids, and as a place to write my own prose / interpretations. It lets me save and load the sessions, and supports a special export dump to text with all of the relevant information (for archival, or whatever).

Many features to add, and lots of graphical adjustments to be made. The 'art' is all my own, using The GIMP, so it's slow going on that stuff (I'm not the best artist in the world...)

When this program is complete, and I have something more to show, I will post an update.

Why am I doing this? For fun and for experience programming. All in all, having a good time with this one. A challenge, but worth it to me!

Delays and updates

I "am" working on more content to fill up this blog, but the whole "Dad by day" bit is what prevents a lot of progress in that regard. I have two awesome and high energy children, ages one and three-and-a-half. The boy is very physical and the girl is very intellectual, so they have not only different age related needs, but also my approach to playing / educating has to change dynamically. As a result of all of that (and cleaning the house, cooking the meals, etc, etc), I am mentally and physically exhausted by the end of any given day. (It doesn't help that my one year old believes that 3:30am is "I'm up for the morning!" time)

Anyways, excuses, blah blah... expect "something" to be posted soon. And this update holds me accountable to that. Right? I'll consult my daughter and get back to you... ;)

Content on this blog in the near future

I am currently working on a few different posts that I will be releasing in the near future. Some of the things that I am working on:

• Collecting a central resource for what I call "story tools", which are basically play aids, world/plot/setting generators, random tables, and the like. This will be an organic and growing list, and will attempt to be system neutral as much as possible.
• List of some of my favorite or recently discovered rpgs, with an emphasis on indie and storytelling focused games. There are some real gems out there and quite a few of them are free!
• Recounting my experiences thus far in introducing the concept of rpgs to my three and a half year old daughter, and some examples of the kinds of role-playing we have actually done.
• Talking about solo gaming and why it isn't as scary and socially awkward as you might think.

Stay tuned for more info. If there is anything you would like to see me talk about, just let me know in the comments!

No external affliations

Just an FYI for those who may be wondering: no, I am not affiliated with any of the companies or products that I may mention on my blog. I am simply trying to bring attention to games and supplements that I think are awesome. This whole thing is for my personal enjoyment. If someone else gets anything out of this, I will be happy; if not, I will still be happy :)

First post!

So, blogging. I have been tempted to start a blog for a long time, but have abstained due to various reasons. I have come to the point where I feel like sharing my personal passions and hobbies with a wider audience (even if it is just close friends and family) in a format that makes it easy to relate information. Emails, texts, and phone calls all have their place, but some of the most interesting things that I have learned about my  hobbies have come from blogs.

This blog won't be focused on any one topic, even though it may at times (read: nearly always) seem to favor role-playing games (of the pencil and paper variety). As with many people, my interests fluctuate: I tend to obsess about one thing for a period of time before moving on, usually having learned something new in the process. While I do occasionally integrate new interests, they are largely cyclical and I do revisit topics frequently.

I reserve the right to edit this post! You have been warned. :)