Wyrd and Wonderful

The past two years of making this documentary have been stop-and-start given that I’ve had to work a day job and the podcast (nay-MEDIA!) industry is crumbling. BUT there’s been an exciting update in that category: the documentary has been offered $15k towards our funding goal by a generous private donor! The overall funding goal is $65k (to pay my small team of three, commission music, travel to interviews, hire a graphic designer for the cover art, consult with a lawyer so I don’t get sued by Hasbro, market and distribute the podcast, etc.) so a Kickstarter will be coming this summer/early fall to raise the rest. Keep your eyes peeled for that announcement!

As for other updates, I’m on the road again! I finally traded in my barely-running 2010 Honda Civic (the love of my life, I miss her everyday) for a small downpayment on a used Hyundai Kona Electric. This summer is going to be me driving around the US, Ramblin’ Man-style, talking to rpg folks and searching for charging stations.

You may remember from a previous newsletter that I was in the DMV area last year to talk to a family affected by the Satanic Panic. This past weekend, I was back in Maryland and the spooky activity hasn’t abated one bit. Proof:

This larger-than-life-size plague doctor decoration loomed over my interview with Evil Hat Productions’ Fred Hicks, who talked to me about the 90s and early 2000s in RPGs and the FUDGE system that his game, Fate, was based on. When Fred led me to his den for our conversation, he warned me with, “Beware the Doctor…you’ll see what I mean.”

A few months ago, John from Wyrd Science Magazine had heard through the grapevine that I’d interviewed RPG zine legend Lee Gold (from my LA trip last summer) and wanted to know if I’d adapt that audio interview into a written piece for his upcoming issue.

2000 words and three months later, it’s here! In print! Check out this reel from Wyrd Science’s Instagram where John flips through the issue:

I’m so happy with how this essay turned out. Lee Gold is a big part of the inspiration for this documentary and it’s awesome seeing her get her flowers after 50 years of service to the hobby.

There’s so much good stuff in this issue of Wyrd Science, including a Shannon Appelcline exclusive on the history of RPG zines, a look at 50 years of Bunnies & Burrows, and John Harper talking about Blades in the Dark’s new Deep Cuts expansion. You gotta get it!

Finally, I want to talk about what games I’ve been gaming lately! Most notably, I got to play a one-shot of Realis, the upcoming moon-hopping space adventure RPG by Austin Walker of Friends at the Table.

Tyler Crumrine of Possible Worlds Games is publishing it and let a few Pittsburgh gamers try it out. I had a great time! I’ve seriously never played anything like this game - it’s kind of an English major’s dream. There are two weeks left to Kickstart Realis if you’re interested!

I’ve also started playing my first mini-campaign of Cairn! I play a Marchguard named Thorn who is the most weathered and bitter 24-year-old you’ve ever seen (the joys of rolling your character randomly). Will Jobst of Good Luck Press is GMing and I have a sneaking suspicion they’re going to kill my character next week…

I’d love to hear what you’ve been playing lately! I’d also love to hear if you have any stories of playing RPGS in the 90s and early 2000s that are not D&D. There was so much cool forum stuff going on in this time period and I want to get a better look at who was playing what.

Thank you for reading and supporting Out of the Dungeon! If you haven’t subscribed yet, please do, and share with your friends!

Until next time,

Kristin