My Next Project on Patreon

Hey Everyone,

First off I'd like to shout out a few new members that has joined our ranks. The latest one is Peepeetugboat. I believe I know Peepeetugboat from somewhere. It's hard to forget a name like that. Mike Halleron aka the Erudite DM is in the house. Mike is a notorious Franophile and a friend I've gamed with last year. And Jon Smith has decided to get some cool things in the mail. I appreciate you and everyone else who's joined my Patreon. I'm nearly at 550.

On to the things that are happening. First, The Demon of Porters Crown has been printed. I just need to sit my ass down and prepare the labels and shove them in the mail. I plan on getting them out on Monday.

The picture above is what I'm working on for the next project. When I did my poll a few months back creating urban locations was the highest vote getter. Fogest & Beluer Alleys is the first of the series. I am including what the cover will look like.

One of the reasons I started this Patreon, in 2011 (I think), was to do these short projects so I could play with different layouts, graphic design, and just ways to present information in different ways. This one is a little different from my typical offering as it is a top fold. I have to perform some acrobatics with revising it for printing compared to a typical zine design. It allows the GM to see a full page when opened.

It's one of y more involved projects for Patreon, probably my largest. I am adding a lot of elements into the project.

· A map of solid blocks to represent each of the individual buildings. Labels on the detailed entries. Not all buildings are labeled. The way I uses the unlabeled buildings is as homes, tenements or yet to be determined. Sometimes your party needs a cartographer nearby and you can take a blank building and create a cartographer shop instantly.

· Each block has its own unique random encounter table. Each neighborhood has its own unique feels but I also have things overlap with other parts of the city so its not isolated.

· Each entry has a short description of the building itself.

· Then owner and who ever is involved and the services provided.

· Price lists.

· Averaging 4 to 5 Adventure Seeds if the GM would like to get the party involved into something more than buying charcoal.

· Other NPCs that can often be found frequenting the business.

· What associations the location has with the neighborhood. It provides a quick look at how the neighborhood reacts to the business.

· And then there are sections where I describe/stat an important NPC or item I mention.

· Art from kickass artists like Rick Hershey, Dean Spencer, The Forge and others. I've linked to their Patreons. I highly suggest you take a look and consider joining. 

As you can you can see by the list I've tried to jam this full of cool content that is easy to access and use at the table.

I'm hoping to complete it this weekend. Fingers crossed.

Worldbuilding Thru Play

So here's my plan. I am running two duet games (1-on-1 games), soon to be three. This in addition to playing in another. I took a break for a few months. I needed it. Now I've dove head first into a pool of dice. Why would I run three duet games? To worldbuild. To expand my campaign world through game play.

Also, to build content for my channel. I am lax on the content making. I like exploring creative aspects and tonight I'm struggling how to do Shorts. You'd think I'd be a natural since they are named after me. It's true. I was given suggestions on which program to help me with such a task.

Paul is a great person to assist with this. Joe knows how to push me into things I hadn't developed yet and Ken has played in my world as long as anyone so he knows the clock is always ticking.

I hope you'll give it a watch. I'm attempting to keep these videos as brief as possible.

Thanks!

Map Attack #2 & Secret Doors

 

Here is the second level of the dungeon map. This time I just drew it with pencil while watch The Blacklist. Then went back over everything with Microns. The walls 05, the stairs and doors 01 and the stippling and debris 005. 

Secret Doors

In the western half of the dungeon are a series of secret doors that are poorly hidden. Done on purpose. I avoid writing in the traditional S through a door to show a secret door. I try to draw the wall as 'samey' with a hint of a possible door there. Or what I've done in the past is leave a small gap between the wall and the room/corridor behind it. I do this because most of the people I know play on-line and use the maps on VTT. Having a big S in the wall is too big of a hint. Not much secretness there. And then they have to figure out how to open the secret door.

That said the GM needs to have some good skill with the masking in the VTT to hide the corridor walls beyond the wall. That's why I like drawing a gap between the door and wall. It allows the GM to unveil a section of the map without looking suspicious. I know I look for that when I'm a player. 

Map #3 I'm hoping to have out by next weekend. I'm thinking for level three there will be a split. Two completely different sections. One section of level three is access by this level and the other part can be accessed by coming up from level 4. 

Map Attack, First of 2026

My first map attack of 2026. I primarily focus on smaller maps for shorter adventures. This one is a multi-level one. The second level is in the works. I used a random table to determine the dungeon corridors and rooms and I have a die or two that also randomizes the dungeon creation. 

I don't have an idea for this map yet. I tend to draw maps in batches. I'll put on a movie/TV show and draw. Zen out. I do this when my brain is fogged and tired. I can at least draw some lines. 

For this map I used a random double stone pattern for dungeon walls. I did not shadow the stones like I do with the single stone technique. I thought the shadowing cluttered the look of the map. And then for the stippling I did a fire-like pattern flaring from the stones. I like the effect. 

Instruments used were 0.5 Uni Kurutoga mechanical pencil to do the initial drawing. Then Microns, 05 for the stones a water border, 01 for the details within the map such as doors, stairs and pillars, and lastly the 005 for the stippling and water current. 

Back to level two. I'll share it here when I'm done.

More Reading in 2026

I need to feed my brain more. I used to eat up books like Cookie Monster ate...cookies. I've gotten out of the habit. My reading time has been replaced with social media crap, texts about how the world ought to be, opinions (oh god, the never ending opinions), dog videos (damn it I like them), artists doing their thing (to me they are like magicians, they scribble on the paper or canvas, I have no idea what its supposed to be and then out of the chaos a cool picture of Jimmie Hendrix appears) and idiots hurting themselves (yeah, I like those videos also). Death scroll is the term I've heard over the past couple of months. Accompanied by brain rot. Yep. Yep. Those terms are accurate.

To help myself, is to put more effort into reading books. Not just gaming books. Get back into the novels both classics and contemporary. Indulge into non-fiction books. I've got lots of them waiting for my attention. I used to love reading music biographies and I can't tell you the last time I did that. 

I decided for 2026 I will put the effort into reading. I don't make resolutions. I remember when people would ask "What's your New Years resolution?" I'd answer with my snide answer, "When I had hair my resolution was to never making another resolution and I've been keeping it ever since." One of my favorite tactics, giving an answer without answering. I missed my calling in politics I guess. Bree-Yark!

More books. More books. More books. I have to retrain my brain to focus for long periods of time because that is gone. It's there. Somewhere. I just need to retrain it. Sit. Be quiet. Focus. Read. Do it after dinner. Do it in between things. Do it while waiting. I am so used to be on other people's time I've forgotten how to read a few pages while waiting for a doctor. Sitting in the parking lot. At night, before bed. That last one is dangerous, I've thumped myself a few times. 

Reader Tip: If you read before bed, make it a paperback. You're welcome.

Part of the reading thing is to keep track of it. This blog will reflect on what I'm reading. I have no idea what shape that will come in. I want it to be more than a tally board of how many I read. I don't expect it'll be many because it'll take me longer to get through books these days. But want to look back a year from now and check my progress. And then set an improvement goal. 

To all those reading this thank you. I hope you next year is full of good stuff. While I know it won't be without its shitty points, but I hope you are armed with the ability to get through it or have someone to help you through it. 

Good New Year to you. To improving yourself. Making yourself better for those close around you. To improve those skills so when someone needs your help you are able to do it with grace and dignity.