What's On the Workbench- Cleaning 3 Weeks of Clutter and Welcoming Spring
Happy Spring.
Spring? At the start of February? Well, the first of February is St Brigid's Day--the traditional Irish Catholic mark of spring, also known as Imbolc. Here where I live, it absolutely does not feel like Spring, but the start of February (at least here in the Beaver Hills) is usually the coldest part of the year. As I'm writing this, the thermometer outside my window reads -35 Celsius. Pretty cold!
With that in mind, I take a unique view of the Feast of St. Brigid, and the start of spring: If the coldest part of the year is already here, then logically it must only get warmer from this point on. The stretch of the year where the snow starts to melt, but before it has completely melted, is absolutely my favorite part of the year. Spring, as far as I'm concerned.
This is true in my professional life as well--the coldest part of the year is the end of January, where in addition to the end of the semester rush to grade essays, enter marks, and reassure panicked students before the government exams, I sign up to grade the aforementioned government exams; a grueling 7 day slog that bridges a weekend, ensuring that I work for 14 straight days without a break, the week after I have just marked all my own student's work. Oh, and the new semester starts. I hope I don't have to update my lesson plans! (Spoiler--I do).
So with all of that out of the way, and a new semester on the horizon, it does feel like Spring in the "renewal" and "rebirth" means.
And with Spring comes Spring Cleaning. Much to my partner's chagrin, over the past 3 weeks I certainly have let some things go at home. Working full time for 14 straight days has a way of making menial things like the dishes, laundry, and drinking even a single cup of water seem abstract and ephemeral. But now, coming out of my exhausted brain fog, I have some time to take stock of things and get my house in order. Which brings me to the subject of this particular post: my Very Messy Workbench
I have received a lot of mail in January, mostly various games I've backed, purchased, or received as a late Christmas gift. I've at least flipped through all of these, and even read some, but I think it would be fun to do a little series where I go through these games as I put my home in order. I don't want these to be long reviews, since I'm flipping through these bad boys as I'm cleaning my office, but as you have seen I do have a fair bit of them to do. I hope you enjoy this process, as I try to figure out my critical voice.
Oh, while I'm here: some plans for the immdiate future, aside from this. Firstly, I want to start writing reviews more regularly. CatsHaveNoLord has graciously reviewed my module Raven's Loft, leading to three (3!) purchases! This has pushed my total sales to the point where I have broken even on the project, matching the money I spent commissioning art and my logo. I will be returning the favour, and reviewing their module Castle Dracula. Both of these modules were vampire themed modules entered in the Liminal Horror Twisted Classics Jam, so I feel like they are somehow a set, despite Castle Dracula being an order of magnitude higher in quality.
I've also been editing a playtest for an Exquisite Corpse style dungeon, with lots of collaborators. It's a project I'm very excited about, and will absolutely be talking about once it's finished.
With that said, I hope you look forward to my next post--immediately after posting this, I think I'll be reviewing one of those modules on my desk. That copy of Desert Moons of Karth seems as good a place to start as any.
Peace!
-Orthopraxy