2025 in Review

Another year, always more games to play

Photo by Yannick Pulver on Unsplash

2025

-36 Posts (2024: 37)

-890 Subscribers (2024: 477)

Averaging three posts per month feels like the right amount. I’d like to continue into 2026 with the goal of three posts per month.

890 subscribers is wild. Considering the niche within a niche (tabletop roleplaying games → solo-roleplaying) that I write in, I’m very happy with it. Slow and steady. I appreciate everyone who reads what I write.

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What did I do in 2025…

Published Niv Lova!

Niv Lova Supplement: 95% done! Expecting to publish (digital + POD) in January.

I created a Dungeon for a collaborative mega-dungeon project that fell through. The Dungeon is fully complete, just not sure what to do with it, now. Maybe I’ll just release it as a mini-zine…

I played through a short mini-dungeon using Mork Borg.

I began my “Designing an RPG” series, starting with “The Why”, and continued throughout the year with ”Resolution”, ”Characters and Resources”, “Equipment”, and “Combat, Wounds, HP, etc.”. I’d like to add a few more articles, including “Art and Layout”, and something about supplements.

I dabbled in Caern 2e solo by Exploring the Wenderweald.

I wrote up multiple sessions of Niv Lova Actual Plays, including, “A Short Stay In Niv Lova, pt 3”, “Niv Lova: Searching (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6), and “Journey to Zona Nole”.

I wrote a post about playing board games solo when the power goes out!

I tried out Whiskey, Blood and Dust’s playtest of an rpg that (I hope) will be coming out at some point. I really liked my actual play, as it stretched my brain creatively because I was trying to keep it as minimalist as possible. Check it out: Here was a man

I played the awesome game, ECO MOFOS, (1) (2) (3) until my character met an untimely end. Great game! It’s great for solo-ing with many cool systems and ideas.

I wrote a one-page rpg about truck-hauling in the post apocalypse.

I wrote a review for Whiskey, Blood and Dust’s Rolls of Engagement, a great tool for creating interesting and engaging combats.

I returned to Kal Arath with my werewolf character, wanting to try out the zine The Valley of The Black Ziggurat. (1) (2) I’d like to continue Calraith’s story in the coming year.

I played the solo game The Wretched, which is as great as everybody says!

I also delved into hex-crawling solo, taking on Dolmenwood’s fantastic and huge hex-crawl, (1) and (2). It was great fun and there was lots of interest in seeing me continue, which I hope to do, soon.

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Coming in 2026…

More “Designing a TTRPG” articles.

Zona Nole, the Niv Lova supplement being released in January (hopefully!)

Continuation of The Shadow of the Waxwing Slain, my blade runner solo campaign, using the official solo tools!

Continuing the Dolmenwood Solo Hex-Crawl.

Getting back to my Kal Arath Ziggurat game!

Finally updating my Table of Contents!

Work on a new game, sort of a The Wretched / Long Haul 1983 hack, about venturing into a strange area (like Annihilation).

Trying out Castle Grief’s new game, Arathi Sector! The creator of Kal Arath making a sci-fi game? Hell yeah!

And who knows what else? Maybe some more work on solo-ing Dark Heresy? Continuing my Kal Arath game with my werewolf character? Who knows!

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That’s all for 2025. Let me know what you played, enjoyed or tried out this past year!

A special thank you to Andrew Wylde, BuddhaRandom, Eric and Whiskey, Blood and Dust for being paid subscribers. Paid subscribers receive digital copies of everything I make, for free!

Thanks for reading!

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My playing and writing will always be available for free, but if you enjoy what I write and would be willing, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription which allows you to vote on the tools/games I play. If that’s too much commitment, you can also just buy me a coffee.

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Check out the Table of Contents for previous games I’ve played as well as other stuff I’ve written.