Three years ago Genius Loci Games faced the brink of collapse. The landscape of tabletop gaming was shifting dramatically, moving away from the in-depth blog posts and the unique, non-gonzo/grim dark OSR material we specialized in. Our blog engagement plummeted to mere double-digit views each month, and our DrivethruRPG store, once a source of pride, barely saw $50 in sales for the entire year. It felt like standing on the edge of a vast, dark chasm, a gaping maw leading into utter chaos. As any sane person would, I recoiled and began to pivot, stepping away from what seemed like a losing battle.
I tried to stay connected to the hobby, making earnest promises on social media platforms, but each attempt was a pratfall in slow motion. The truth was, the audience had evolved, and in many ways, so had I. For over a year, I haven’t touched a d20; my gaming has shifted to Japanese roleplaying game called Sword World (excitingly, an official English release is coming next year). I’ve found new joy in exploring the world of Raxia, embodying diverse characters like a Fairy Summoning Maid, a princess knight on the run, and even an amusing Soliel Barbarian who’d rather enjoy a drink on the beach than embark on a grand adventure.
Despite the setbacks, I did manage one small release: a supplement for James Sphan’s White Star, aptly titled Military Sci-fi Options (find it here!). This humble offering even sparked a minor social media stir when I realized the original cover art was AI-generated, leading to a quick replacement. Since its release last December, it’s sold a modest 16 copies—a testament to the challenges I faced, certainly not enough to cover the cost of even one, let alone two, cover designs. It seemed the universe wasn’t quite pushing me to dive back into the grindstone of game development.
I also experimented with a living game concept, blending OSE and 5e, designed as an hour-long RPG dungeon crawler in the spirit of classics like Eye of the Beholder and Wizardry. Unfortunately, the weekday 11:00-13:00 EST time slot proved unpopular. While that particular endeavor didn’t take off, I still believe in the idea and truly hope someone else eventually picks up the torch and makes it a success.
So what now?
Good question! For a long time I have been working on two projects. One is a Setting for Anti-Paladin Games’ Mini-Six Bare-bones edition (I don’t like or agree with the CC settings the revised Bare Knuckles Edition carry) called Brimstone ’46 which see’s players take on the role of WWII vets combating the Eldritch and Occult as part of the secretive Brimstone Society in a post-war United States. The other is an original system called BioEvil which allows the players to explore a world of weaponized viruses, zombies, BOWs, etc. In both cases, I am held back by nothing more than my own uncertainty that there is a point … however, thanks to some prodding by fellow creators I am dusting of these projects and hoping to finish them by year’s end –
– Hopefully the audience will be there to join me.
