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It’s March 2025.
It’s already been a fucking year.

The world is on fire, and the absolute worst people have taken over our country. Watching our rights get stripped away on top of seasonal illnesses and the day-to-day chaos of keeping things afloat — it’s been draining on my desire to create. Who cares about elf games when we don’t know if we’re going to be rounded up into camps? I’m not sugar coating it: I’m fucking mad. I’m mad because I don’t know what’s going to happen for my family and friends. I’m mad because last year I finally sought help and began to feel stability and happiness in my head; now I find myself spiraling the drain again. I’m mad, and I’m scared.

I didn’t want to vex my feelings of current events on my gaming site. But it’s pretty clear these days that having a platform off social media, where you can speak openly and not be scrutinized by AI moderation or billionaire fanboys, is in itself a damn fine form of resistance. I’ve also come to realize that engaging in my stupid hobbies in spite of current events is also a small act of revolution one can do for themselves.

I’ve decided that since times are crazy, friends are distant and I lack the spell slots to meet new gamers right now, to indulge in my collection of solo tabletop games. Ironsworn, Five Leagues from the Borderlands, Siege Perilous and others have been put to the table since the year started. I know many think of solo gaming as a somewhat sad endeavor — role-playing games are supposed to be social activities! But there’s something about the medium I adore. It’s more immersive to me than video games, as my imagination is way better than any open world game that’s come out in recent years. There’s a tactile element — moving pieces on a map, rolling dice and consulting tables in a book give me a hit of dopamine. Working within the confines and procedures of their rules forge incredible stories in my mind’s eye. The ephemera of journals, dice, and character sheets after I’m done playing… there’s a lot going on. Sometimes it’s nice to hide in your little world to recoup from the real horrors outside your door.

So consider yourself warned: the new shift on my blog this year will be about a grown man’s journey of playing make believe by himself, interspersed with ramblings about surviving and getting by in our dystopian bullshit. Not all who wander are lost — some of us just don’t want to deal with people right now.