Like Alisa.

And as the Saviours investigated, they realized these fanatics were ex-military. Well executed plans that would ensure the heroes were at their mercy!

On the way, they were hell bent on taking out the “leader” of the Saviours, Jason Todd. Yes, that Jason Todd. But this Jason had the powers of Shazam (it’s a private beta test, so why not).

So they were ready to T-Bone the party’s hovercar, hunker down behind two cars, and take out the group with extreme prejudice!

That was until Jason flew, landed on the hood of one of the cars hard, flipped it, tried to keep the flip under control, and then dodged the 2nd car trying to sandwich him.

The resulting impact ensured none of the opponents were in any condition to fight.

And you missed the dirty 20 roll where Jason landed and flipped the first hover car, the partial fail of the 15 out of 16 to control the flip, and the 22 that he rolled to dodge the 2nd car.

Probably because you’re doomscrolling, so much better than actually having fun seeing something as cool as that.

Now, the Saviours are pissed at what is happening with the Friends of the Shaper Cult, and I expect they’re going to start to investigate deep on what’s going on with them!

And that is going to bring them to one of the most messed up secrets in Trinity City.

If you want to see that very cool moment, feel free to join my discord, we can create a quick character and you can get into the action!

The Amazing Gaming Production’s Discord Server!

Thanks for rolling with Amazing Gaming Productions!

Does that intimidate you?

Are you asking yourself, am I a real author?

Are you saying, that’s impossible, he must use AI to write, because I’ve never heard of something like that!

Comparison is natural, but can go to an extreme!

Let’s be honest, we as human beings will make unconscious comparisons, and when someone does something out of the ordinary, it can all make us very self-conscious!

This is only multiplied by Social Media.

Someone who can write a novel in 9 days when people struggle to write 50k words during NaNoWriMo is way out of the ordinary, and so everyone is going to feel completely intimidated by it.

The question of, am I even a writer? Is he even a writer is going to come out from that little nagging thought of inadequacy.

I’m here to tell you to put your phone down and stop using it to compare yourself against anyone else!

According to the World Health Organization, about 14.1% of young people are suffering from a mental health issue, and most of it is probably because of seeing TikTok reels, social media posts about big wins, and Instagram models, and people get intimidated by it!

So stop comparing yourself to other people, you’re not behind, you’re building your foundation that you can actually build your kind of life.

Constant comparison = constant copying, and that’s another reason for your mental health is hurting right now!

Compare yourself to dirt > people!

This is why I tell people, if you want to compare yourself to anything, compare yourself to the dirt!

We come from it - star stuff or the dust of the earth, you’re more capable than you think!

Don’t look at what someone is doing and think, OMG, that person is so far ahead, and I’m way behind.

You’re not, you just need to start.

And don’t look at the worst people doing better than you.

I remember seeing a comparison post - The picture of Ryan Gosling in Bladerunner 2049, you know the one with the broken nose.

My face when I see OnlyFans girls and Drug Dealers buy their 6th car, and I’m barely keeping it going working 10 hours a day, being a good person!

Dude, don’t do that!

Don’t compare, don’t denigrate yourself!

The wicked only get their reward in this world, not in the next!

I can imagine how many people felt about my post about putting your phone down and writing a novel in 9 days!

I’ve been writing stories and game developing for almost 7 years now - September 26th is just around the corner. I’ve learned frameworks and ideas that most people haven’t learned. So, of course I can do things that someone who is starting out can’t.

But the foundation is, put your phone down. Learn that skill, you’re already ahead of most people wanting to develop a game or becoming a writer.

And your mental health will improve dramatically too!

Use people’s victories to motivate you!

As I’m telling everyone, I put my phone down. I don’t let my phone make me compare myself to others.

And instead of being intimidated by other people’s victories, I use that to inspire myself.

I think of the over 100 novels Margaret Weis has written, not to mention how much she shaped DragonLance and Dungeons & Dragons with Tracy Hickman!

I think about Roger Zelazny, writing over 50 novels!

I think about Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, creating Dungeons & Dragons!

I think about Warren Spector, who worked on so many games we all loved to play in the 80s/90s/2000s!

I use those stories to motivate me to create the absolute best games and stories possible!

I don’t let them intimidate me, I let them motivate me, to write amazing stories and develop an amazing game!

So, my advice, don’t let other people’s success do anything other than make you work harder!

Hey, let’s get this out there!

I would love you to share this blog on social media, because I know it’s needed. You know it’s needed. Putting down your phone to think and work is the greatest and most needed skill in the world right now!

So, why don’t you share this blog on your substack, or other social media platforms!

Comparison is foolish.

You can constantly compare yourself to others who are farther along the journey than you, or you can put your phone down and put in the work to grow as a person and as an artist!

Your choice!

Thanks for rolling with Amazing Gaming Productions!

Elven men look like women…

Elandrial has one thing to say about that always, “There’s Elven Men” completely shocked, and just puking a little.

You see, in Tales of Glory Elves are only women. Daughters of the Wind in Mystamyra, of the Sun in Interitus, of the Oceans in Oceana - and two daughters on unnamed worlds - daughters of the Core (Fire Elves), and of the Dunes (Sand Elves).

They’re not like every other Elf out there right now!

And it’s definitely not like either WotC or OSR elves?

So, how did this happen?

Before we continue, this is a reader/gamer back publication.

Everyone who supports this newsletter get’s some really wild benefits:

• You can ask to help beta test any setting for Tales of Glory!

• You can download The Inn of Infinite Worlds - the center piece of the Tales of Glory multiverse - an inn that appears to heroes in need!

• You can download the Rise of the Shadow Walker - the origin story of Zuo, the most deadly assassin in Trinity City

• If you’re a writer/game developer, then you might like How to Avoid Burnout, which helps you learn how to focus and accomplish great things!

• Plus I give advice at the end of each of these blogs on how to get on a better road!

Also, you will be able to get a copy of The History of Mystamyra according to the Elves book series that I am currently writing!

All you need to do is upgrade to paid!

Upgrade your Life!

Fantasy is about the unknown!

Robert J Kuntz had an excellent article that details the type of slander from many of the modern developers have made against the founders of tabletop role playing games.

It’s excellent, read it.

But he also fielded some questions on fantasy and game development, and I want to bring this quote out from him, because this is the epitome of why you shouldn’t just do something because it’s what everyone else does!

“The unknown is where Fantasy resides; and to summon it you must journey to its realm by creating new models or adjacent-models, by breaking away from standardized, median models. Fantasy becomes less elusive once you define your unique parameters for discovering it. And I believe now as I did during the play-tests of D&D that Fantasy is not linearly derived; and thus its non-linear/non-static position relative to rigid and linear game formats and rules makes it more difficult to suss out, therefore, new models.”

— Robert J Kuntz

I highlighted median because that means you need to break from the models everyone uses. To be even more concise about it: in plain english, copy something at your own risk.

• Your TTRPG needs classes, why?

• Your Elves should be like Tolkien’s Elves, why?

• Your books should have these exact 20 scenes or it won’t work, why?

Now in the same interview, RJK tells people you should learn from history, but you need to stand on your own work!

Copying is diminishing!

I’m going to straight up tell you something.

Tolkien’s Elves were written as a race that is fading away. As humanity kept expanding, they slowly diminish and leaving the world because it was changing too much for them.

Now, let’s parallel that with what’s happening right now. Every person who puts Elves into their system are either trying to copy or act in opposition of Tolkien’s Elves. Each of their Elf diminishes a little bit because they’re all created from the rigid, non-changing model!

Mystamyran Elves, my first Elven people and what I make my copies from, and each is different than the others (though each race of Elves in Tales of Glory also have similarities), is an absolute new take on the Elves.

While every copy is literally telling Tolkien’s story because each copy is diminished, Mystamyran Elves are different - growing alongside mortals, learning from them, as mortals learn from the Elves.

They continue to grow!

But it isn’t just Elves…

How many people steal people’s templates for newsletters, posts, and even art ideas?

They just keep copying, and while a trend is fun at first, it becomes diminished and boring after a while - know when to call it.

When you’re surrounded by people on social media, there is a temptation of copying what is successful, whether it’s fantasy as described by Tolkien, Lewis, or Howard, or the latest - I read all the books from this person and this is the 10 lessons I learned from their works…

Boring.

What 10 things can you teach me because you actually did something, like I can teach people because I put my phone down to write Elandrial’s story and did so in 9 days, 62,785 words!

So, what can we do?

Read more

On September 26th, 2019, I decided to do something. I had stories about Trinity City swirling around my brain like a hurricane. Heroes that had to face overwhelming odds to save their city from forces that threatened its destruction.

I went on Google and searched for how to make a tabletop roleplaying game!

The Wiki-how started the entire process.

And through about 4 iterative versions, I’m playing testing the game as part of the Fame system now.

The Fame system is the engine, but Trinity City isn’t the only story.

In fact, now that I know where the story is going because of the Elves of Mystamyra, there were several mysteries that go solved.

And that’s when Trinity City became Tales of Glory, a pulp-inspired multiverse ttrpg!

A game where you can be a rugged frontier preacher like Father Reginald with his blessed six-shooters, fighting against Vampires like the Blood Baron. Or you could be Hugo the tinker, who uses his brains, his sarcastic mouth, and sometimes his muscles to save their city day in Trinity City. Or the beautiful Orphiala and her daughter Thalendrial fighting against the dragon Hordes. Or maybe a Robot like B1N, exploring the Galaxy with the Confederation of Stars!

Publication Information

Title: Tales of Glory

Genre: A Multiverse epic fantasy/sci-fi Tabletop Roleplaying game.

Become the hero your world needs.

With easy character customization, you’re in the game in minutes, fighting crime in the streets of Trinity City, or fighting the dragon hordes of Mystamyra, or Vampires in Saviour’s Crest County, or exploring the galaxy in the Confederation of Stars.

Your actions build your legend, as you fight for freedom and justice in your world.

Why Tales of Glory?

Imagine creating a character and adventuring in minutes!

Not 30+ minutes with NuDnD, not 1 hour with Pathfinder, or Mutants and Masterminds.

Within 10 minutes, if you have a character concept!

Because character creation is simple - A-B-C-1-2-3

A - choose your background.

B - choose your powers and skills.

C - fill in your stats from those powers and skills.

1 - go out adventuring.

2 - build your reputation and fame rank up.

3 - become a legend by saving the city/world/galaxy!

Like the pulp heroes of old!

How does Character progression work?

Simple, when you decide your first powers and skills, they are your primaries. They are what you’re known for, and they will completely unlock.

At specific milestones, you can pick up new powers and skills and they start advancing based on when you pick them up.

i.e., you’re Hugo and your first two skills are engineering and mindfulness. He’s a smart kid who knows a thing or two about how to make a transistor work. At fame 7, his engineering and mindfulness would be level 7, and he has the opportunity to delve into technical powers, and he’s choosing force fields for added protection, but force fields would only function at level 1, but it’s still powerful protections.

Time Line

Phase 1 - completed production, beta testing started.

• Beta version of the Trinity City sourcebook.

• Beta versions of maps, factions, and history.

• Beta version of the Welcome to Trinity City campaign.

• Beta testing of the rules and Welcome to Trinity City campaign (commencing).

Phase 2 - started production.

• Create the sourcebook for Mystamyra, Saviour’s Crest County, and the Confederation of Stars.

• Create the campaigns for each world.

• Create stories for each world.

• Beta test the campaigns for each world.

Phase 3 - Open the Multiverse

• Write the Multiverse Crisis campaign.

• Create the full Tales of Glory multiverse edition sourcebook.

• Create campaigns, exploring the impact of multiverse travel on the core worlds.

• Explore new worlds in the multiverse.

Currently, I’m hitting the ground running for Phase 2.

I’ve completed:

• Mystamyra’s main map

• The powers and skills are done in rough draft for the sourcebook

• I wrote the origin story of Elandrial, the greatest Elf to ever exist, in I was Once the Wind, but Now I’m an Elf!

I hope to invite you into this multiverse world that will ultimately have Elves, superheroes, aliens, robots, and even ghosts fighting against the forces of evil!

Mephistopheles is pushing back on people upset about the changes sensitivity readers have pushed on Dark Sun campaign setting for NuDND!

I really need you people to understand that all a Sensitivity Reader actually is, is an editor with more professional expertise in a given subject matter. Their job is to look for unintentional biases, harmful stereotypes, and gross portrayals that can be deemed offensive.

My only response was -

This thing loves how much you live up to one of its names…

You sound completely reasonable!

Le sigh, the dog pile, which I am partially involved in, is just piling up.

Fighting with Randos is Meaningless

Let’s just examine things for a second!

The guy who names himself after the father of all lies is upset that we are keeping WotC accountable for sanitizing Dark Sun!

We have a right to speak our peace about sensitivity writers (AGP will never use them, to let everyone know - I go dark no matter what - no sanitizing of my materials - my brain to the page to you!)

And because we’re upset at WotC, we instantly just transfer that anger and frustration on someone who probably has absolutely no pull with Dungeons & Dragons.

This is a waste of time and effort, tbh.

Let’s do some math here - If you fight for 2-3 hours a day on social media, that is about 2000-3000 written words a day, and that’s about 700,000-1,000,000 words in a year.

That’s a damn trilogy, wasted on social media!

Wasted.

We should keep our focus on where it will do the most good, not on some poor schmo who decided it was intelligent to name himself after the devil and fights people on the Internet.

My response is about the height of what should be done…

Congrats for living up to the devil’s name dude, thanks for lying, you sounded very reasonable with your lies.

We know WotC sensitivity readers had a very negative impact on Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman’s recent Dragonlance Novels!

We know it’s a way for people to push their cybernetic infection to control what we write and how we write it.

We know how it profoundly changes the games, books, and comics we loved for decades, turning them into lectures, instead of something fun to enjoy!

But that’s besides the point, I just don’t have the time really deal with this shit - phoney outrage is stupid.

It’s mostly performative.

People get angry, produce receipts, fight over things, and a few people profit from it.

Phoney Outrage Wastes Time and Energy

Phoney Outrage is a time sink!

Period.

End of story!

Yeah, I don’t like what WotC is doing - let’s remove slavery from Dark Sun, and who knows how many other things they are trying to remove as well.

The slippery slope will cost them a bunch of money, as many old school gamers who remember the setting will refuse to pick it up.

Like Spelljammer 2024.

Oh the Hadozee, a winged monkey race is offensive, remove them now!

Deck apes must be removed immediately, because monkeys = black people, and that’s offensive man, offensive!

And hey, our central corpo overlords are entitled to do it, and it’ll cost them.

Only about 15-20% of people on Dungeons & Dragons Beyond have upgraded to version 5.5.

But when it stops being about keeping WotC accountable and dog piling on someone who can’t change shit, then you’re wasting time and effort.

Someone said it on Substack recently, instead of posting up your hot takes, why don’t you post up story parts, lore, and stop fighting.

I’m in agreement with them!

That actually moves the needle, not stupid fighting on social media!

Why You Should Ignore Phoney Outrage

What can we do against such reckless hate?

Well, I have a few thoughts on that.

First, I don’t take anything on my phone so seriously that I’m not reading, writing, drawing, or creating something.

Second, I ask myself, is this worth my time? Is it going to move any needles going back and forth with someone who is not listening. Unless this is some people at WotC, AAA gaming company, or big comic book publisher, I don’t get involved in the outrage!

Third, I ask myself what is worth my time? That includes thinking, reading, writing, drawing and creating something.

So, that’s what I do - I read, I write, I draw instead.

And because I do that, I can write a whole novel in 9 days - 62,785 words over 70 hours!

Fighting on social media would have completely eliminated my ability to do that, because you’re infecting our imagination and your emotions by doing so.

You’re beating a dead horse, because you’re really upset at things.

So, I agree with the people who start telling people the truth, you’re accomplishing nothing if you’re not reading, writing, and creating.

Fighting on social media is just busy work that feels great but accomplishes absolutely nothing!

Fighting on the Internet can seriously put a hamper on your goals!

If you want to get on track, my mini-course on how to avoid burnout can really help you focus.

And you can pick that up through a paid subscription to my Substack, which also includes:

• Beta testing for any of my settings for Tales of Glory, currently we’re testing Trinity City, a superhero setting.

• The Inn of Infinite Worlds, a ttrpg supplement for adventurers in need so they can have a true rest before or after they face something devastating!

• The Rise of the Shadow Walker, the origins of Zuo - the deadliest assassin in Trinity City.

Also, I will be releasing I was Once the Wind, but Now I’m an Elf for paid subscribers, the origins of Elandrial, the first Elf of Mystamyra!

Upgrade your life!

Simply put, waste your time fighting a nobody who has any sway with the publishers if you want to, but it’s not going to move any needles anywhere!

And it just shows a whole lot of immaturity as well.

Focus on WotC, book publishers, movie studios, and game developers - not on people arguing with you!

Thanks for rolling with Amazing Gaming Productions!

“I’m an Elf minding my own business!”

They didn’t want to get too muddled with human affairs, because of the Curse. You see, if they cared, and they stayed around humans, it’s inevitable that any Elf would meet a man they would fancy.

And in so doing, she risks her heart, because the Curse would make her forget him the moment she has the Calling with him. The moment their daughter was conceived, she’d forget him. So, Elves tried to mind their own business and explore the world.

They were afraid…

So they gave themselves guardrails to protect their hearts!

Completely understandable, who wants to have a broken heart!

But it was slowly killing them and the world of Mystamyra as well!

Confidence > Workarounds

When I look out in the creative world, I see it myself.

I see unconfident people who make decisions based upon their fears!

And you can read it…

Their work feels flat, there’s nothing of them, nothing of their characters, nothing of the world saying anything. It’s like they are whispering in a thunderstorm, it’s so underwhelming.

And they turn to AI to try to help them improve.

And it’s not their writing that needs to improve, it’s their confidence!

Following a template of 10, 12, or 20 scenes for a story is not going to help you. Following guidelines that help you draw a character will not help you. In fact, I almost want to tell you to throw them out immediately!

No, throw them out.

They’re not really helping your creativity, they’re a crutch.

Keep your darlings!

Let me just tell you, when I wrote I was Once the Wind, but Now I’m an Elf, I started to realize something huge.

Stephen King says “kill your darlings”, the scenes that don’t add to the plot of the story… Guess what I want to tell you, don’t.

In the first act, Elandrial has her daughter Oredrial… And do you think for one second I wouldn’t add the scene Oredrial says her first words, Moooommmmieeee, Sistahs, and es (sic yes).

Do you think for one second, I’m not going to give her the scene Oredrial starts dancing around the Tree of Life all by herself?

These are “not” adding to the plot of the story which would be - Elandrial starts the Curse during her first Calling, the Elves and Humans suffer because of it, and Elandrial breaks the Curse with Kael, remembering him because she refuses to live without him.

Because these do not belong into any of these, the joy of being a mother doesn’t fit into the whole curse narrative.

But they are absolutely needed for Elandrial’s story, because it’s also about the joy of being the first Elf!

It’s not needed for the plot, but it is needed for the story!

Guardrails always harm the story, don’t be so deep in plot that you ruin your story.

Because if I just followed the 20 scenes you must write in your story by Story Grid, my story wouldn’t have any of that.

Sure, when Oredrial starts to get older, she’s asking questions about where she came from, and that brings you back into the plot. But Story > Plot!

And drawing from your heart is better than drawing from guidelines as well.

Not that I want to knock the basics, but you have to make the basics yours because that’s the only way you can make something great!

Make the basics yours!

First, I decided the difference between the Elandrial and Song of Discordance drawings which were drawn with guidelines and the ones that weren’t, the guideline ones were actually worse than the drawings I drew from my heart by just winging it!

It’s much better, in my opinion.

Scared people use guidelines, not me!

I use my own gut.

Same with stories… Sure, have a map, but treasure maps show that it’s almost never a straight line. Follow the curves of the story - it’s going to be much better.

So those 20 scenes become 20 story arcs instead, each a mini story with multiple scenes inside of them - 2 or 3 pages long - and that’s how you write 62,785 word story!

They’re only guidelines, they are not the new 20 commandments written in stone by God you must follow to write!

Elandrial’s story is so inspirational to me, and I hope it’s inspirational to you.

She’d tell you, yes, I ran away from all my problems because of the Curse for so long, but eventually I took a leap of faith and changed my life by loving Kael.

And that’s what this blog is all about, letting go of fear and living your life in confidence.

So, if you want her full story, feel free to upgrade to my paid Substack.

By Mid September, I want to offer this to beta readers and critique partners.

By November, I also want to offer it up for Arc readers!

You can see her transformation from innocence to wisdom in those pages.

Upgrade!

So, my recommendation, follow the basics, but don’t become so afraid to make them your own. The basics are there to give you guidance, they are not prisons!

Find your own voice in them, and you can do something extraordinary!

Thanks for rolling with Amazing Gaming Productions!

And you hear everyday colloquialisms, like conspiracy theories, I am not a man or woman, I am non-binary, or you can leave religion without consequence.

And you’re going to defeat the big bad with the power of friendship!

Or fight against a companion’s antagonist and she’s basically a representative of the Adams Family!

It’s like the writers of the Failguard only read tweets!

Whatever is popular on social media got injected into their game without any thought on how that would fit into their universe!

Embarrassing!

TwitterBrained Writing is Embarrassing!

The amount of writers who are spending way too much time on TikTok, X, and other social media platforms, getting involved in silly political battles, shows how stupid it is.

I’m reading stories that I can immediately see how much they don’t practice the craft, I’m seeing how many stories that sound like a Twitter fight, and I’m seeing how much only reading tweets has vastly degraded people’s understanding of the English language.

I can’t stand it.

And yet, what do people do more of, read tweets as they’re building their “Author Platform” or read books from Roger Zelazny, Terry Brooks, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, JRR Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, or William Shakespeare!

And you think your story is going to sound anything different than Twitter!

Gotta make that Author Platform, that’s what everyone online keeps on saying, find your audience on your social media platform of choice - like X, TikTok, or YouTube!

Your Phone Is Killing Your Writing!

Fuck Your Phone!

Fuck Phoney Imagination Infections!

I truly believe in cybernetic viruses - a virus that affects both computers and human minds. That’s what the Woke Mind Virus is - ideas living online and in people’s brains. A virus that can be deadly to their hosts and others, as we have seen recently!

Ideas that weasel into your mind and imagination, infecting the things you write about, the way you write, and the ideas ratting in your mind.

That’s not good!

We’ve seen how women are written by people who only read tweets - women who don’t need men, are instantly great at everything they try, and they’re usually very rude and arrogant.

And we’ve seen how men are written by people who only read tweets - men are insatiable gooners, incapable of anything, and toxic risk-takers.

Instead, we can explore more realistic ideas about how men and women can work together!

You can’t write a good story if you’re only on social media and you’re not reading great books.

There’s a fix…

Make sure your reading and writing is at least 3-4 times more than your social media use.

If they are not, you’re going to make it!

Your “Author/creative Platform” is actually holding you back.

All I have to do to prove this is to point to all the failed AAA games that sounded like twitter than Dragon Age, or a space opera like Starfield, or Concord.

You’re never going to create a great story if you’re on your phone all the time.

Follow Priorities, not Social Media Trends!

Well, you know me.

I’ve had weeks where just writing was 5 times longer than Social Media - writing a 62,785 word novel in 9 days.

Instead of focusing on my “Author/Creative Platform” I focused on being a real author!

Now, I’m not saying, don’t spend time on social media.

But if you’re not reading and writing more than you’re on social media, that’s a problem.

This week, I’ve been spent hours reading The Great Book of Amber, and drawing my favourite Elf, Elandrial!

That’s how you do it, you keep focusing on what’s the most important things, instead of doing things that are neither urgent nor important!

I can be your accountability partner, if you upgrade to paid!

You can either be in the same place in August 2027, or your can write a book, create a comic, or get a game started - I can help you keep on track, instead of creating an “Author/Creative” platform.

Imagine having real progress, instead wasting time on things that don’t push the needle forward, like having a real book or comic written!

Not only will you get that accountability partner, you will also get:

• Invitations to beta testing new settings with Tales of Glory - the game I’m currently working on.

• How to Avoid Burnout - how to organize your tasks and your life to make sure you can work on something for 7 years, or 20.

• The Inn of Infinite Worlds - if you’re a tabletop gamer, I created a multiverse Inn that can appear to heroes in need.

• The Rise of the Shadow Walker - witness the origins of Zuo, Trinity City’s most deadly assassin!

Upgrade your Life!

Listen, don’t let silly online fighting and ideas infect your imagination!

The more you allow it to influence your thinking, the worse your work and ideas will be.

You don’t want that, and it’s another reason why you need to put your phone down and stop doom scrolling on social media all the time.

You’re not creating an “author platform”, you’re just getting trapped by the dopamine system social media companies want you hooked on.

So, stop, read an old book or comic!

Thanks for rolling with Amazing Gaming Productions!

The first Elf.

She can remember the moment she realized, she was once the wind but now she was an Elf.

Just an ordinary day, I thought of what it must have been like to be Adam, the first human on Earth. To be dust moments before, but now a living soul.

Hearing the birds sing, God talking, and the breeze (which literally, in Tales of Glory could have been Elandrial).

Seeing the garden of Eden, the animals around him, and the horizon. Being able to walk, run, jump, and dance in celebration. Being able to sing, laugh and talk.

And then I thought, the dirt we came from, or the wind Elandrial came from, can’t do any such thing. The vast majority of the matter of the universe can’t think, feel, or act!

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it 1 millions times for the people in the back.

WE ARE A TINY, MINUSCULE, BARELY A BLIP OF THE MATTER OF THE UNIVERSE WHO CAN ACTUALLY READ THIS!

WE ARE MAGIC!

WE ARE MIRACLES!

WE ARE TRULY MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD!

We are just told we are ordinary, normal, and I think that is the greatest lie we could have ever bought into.

What’s Normal?

We are not ordinary.

I can open a can of coke and drink its sweet syrup filled contents. If I asked what we’re made from, the dirt, to open that can of coke and drink it, we all know the result.

Yes, laugh.

You were made to laugh at absurdities!

To find that unconquerable summer in the midst of winter!

You are a living miracle…

In I was Once the Wind, but Now I’m an Elf, Elandrial has that conversation so many times. People laugh at the truth and wisdom of what she’s saying. They think she’s a living miracle, because she can tell them, she was once the wind but now she’s living. But then she says, didn’t you come from the dirt, fellow miracle?

But if we listen to today’s world, we ridicule ourselves. We’re only human this, we’re dumb, we’re incapable of this or that, we’re never good enough. Quite frankly, we deserve Elandrial coming here and telling us to stop it!

Well, God said, after he made us and the world, everything was very good!

I’ll side with him (and his first Elven daughter of Mystamyra), to be honest.

The only thing that is truly incapable of what you think you’re incapable of is dirt, wind, the water, the sunlight. Because they can’t think, feel, or act. You only get in your own way, thinking you’re not smart enough!

Being Human is Amazing!

This idea that we’re only human is what keeps us back.

When I think of all the things humanity has done, and the sheer lack of things the dirt has ever done of its own free will, I think - what is man?

What is man, that God shaped us and made us living souls? What is man that we can make art, compose music, create comics, develop games, write books, calculate mathematics, dig the dirt, drink a coke, make and eat a hamburger with cheese with a mayo mustard and onion sauce and pickle.

Let’s ask the dirt what man is?

We’re truly divine beings, but since we do all these things so often, we don’t think we are anymore. The dirt, the wind, the sunlight, the oceans couldn’t do any of this.

So, let’s not put ourselves down.

Compare Yourself with Dirt!

Every time I think down, even a little, I can’t help but think about our reality, and quietly pray, thank you God for an experience that dirt can’t have.

I compare myself to the dirt all the time now.

Because all life can do things that dirt can’t do.

So, if we can do things the dirt can’t, why should I be unhappy about life!

Even through the stressful parts!

I hope you like this blog, and if you could, share it along.

Someone might be struggling, and they may need to be reminded that they were once dirt, but now they’re a living soul, a living miracle!

You are the sign God wants you to notice right now, if you’re struggling, so share this.

Oh, if Elandrial’s story is intriguing, feel free to subscribe to my channel - I’ll announce the crowdfunding campaigns soon!

We’re not “only human”!

What we are amazes me now, but we don’t see ourselves the way God created us!

And that’s why God sent us his son, so he could be King over our lives too (another blog, but I’ll get to it)!

And in that, we can free ourselves from the destructive nature of the world!

Thanks for rolling with Amazing Gaming Productions!

You know what?

They didn’t sell well.

One-star ratings!

I followed everyone’s advice on social media!

You learn writing theory, you put the list of scenes you need to put together for a story, you write those scenes, and you publish once you edit it.

And then I just wrote I was Once the Wind, but Now I’m an Elf!

I started to write it, with those twenty scenes Story Gird tells you to include in every story. And I could feel it, that oh, I can’t have just Elandrial’s birth. I have to have this scene that adds to the wonder of her birth, and what about this scene that gives some foreshadowing of her weakness.

And when she just had Oredrial, her first daughter - damn, I can’t just have the consequence of the curse scene, I have to have Oredrial’s first words!

And I have to have Oredrial’s first dance around the Tree of Life!

Because these are momentous scenes you have to have in the birth of a child.

Sure, there’s the shadow of what the curse has done, and Oredrial doesn’t know her father, and there’s that scene when Oredrial is old enough, but you have to have the beautiful scene where a child says their first words, and they start moving and being a little independent.

And those scenes wouldn’t have happened if I just followed the what everyone on the Internet tells you to do, whether it’s Story Grid, or some rando on the Internet.

All the Chatter on the Internet!

People take what they read on social media and the Internet like God came to Mount Sinai and wrote out a whole bunch of new rules for humanity to follow.

• Want to change culture - create culture.

• Want to write a novel - here’s twenty scenes you must have if you want to write a novel.

• Want to succeed a marketing - here’s a 100 scientific things you need to know about marketing your book.

Sorry, I love the last one, is great. She gives solid advice on her Substack!

But here’s the biggest problem, some of these people pushing advice on how to write, create comics, and develop video games haven’t even created one. And they argue with giants who have.

I’ve seen people arguing with Robert Kuntz, one of the originals who helped develop Dungeons & Dragons, about his credentials.

And so many people listen to these people, telling people how to do things, when they haven’t a successful novel, comic, or game!

Fuck Phones!

How do we resolve this?

It’s simple!

Fuck your phone!

Don’t take what is written in stone!

Especially the people giving advice who have absolutely no credentials in giving advice on anything!

• No novel written, don’t tell people this is how it is.

• No comic created, don’t tell people this is how to make one.

• No game developed, don’t tell people these are the rules or you’re wrong.

Funny story, there was a Youtuber who exploded in 2020 in the writing community who sounded like an expert professional. Meg Latorre said she was a literary agent (she was) so this was all her advice on how to write a novel. And when her first book launched, it sucked so bad…

Don’t tell people how something is if you’re just learning. She didn’t write another book after that!

Don’t take people who have no credentials advice.

I can see many of the over one hundred thousand people who subscribed to Meg really embarrassed for listening to her advice.

And at the same time, even established formulas are just guidelines.

When I looked at the 20 scenes Story Grid produced, I didn’t think of them like scenes, I thought of them as little story arcs, so I could push as much story as possible, and I think it worked very well!

Make It Yours!

What I’ve learned recently is that all your process should be just that, your process.

Guidelines are great, don’t get me wrong, but if you’re not following your gut and instincts while you are following them, everything is going to fall flat.

Look at the Tree I’m creating in Blender. I followed the guideline - I looked at a bunch of trees, and because I did that, I started to build them in Blender and look at how these beauties look!

I’ve never did a root system so well. I’ve never done branches that well.

If you follow the guidelines, and then make them yours, the sky is the limit.

Take advice from people who have been through the trenches, giving you practical advice on what they’ve experienced - go listen to them.

Just don’t take what you read on the Internet like it’s written by God, because it’s just a billion minds who play the telephone game, adding to this idea or that idea. There’s gold and poop nuggets in it all!

Learn how to filter and change things for yourself!

So, do you want to be in the exact same place as last year?

Listening to a 10,001 people’s advice on how to write, create a comic, develop a game and you’re not making headway?

Or do you want to learn how to free your mind from your phone and produce something you love!

Because your phone has infected your imagination, and you’re not producing your best work because of the 10,001 people’s advice on how to do things!

If you upgrade to paid, I’m going to do my best to help you escape the time wasting sink of social media, and all the awful advice that’s pushed on your from those 10,001 people!

You will get:

1. How to Avoid Burnout: I give practical advice on how to prioritize your time to ensure you have enough time to work, and rest so you can work on something for seven or twenty years (a $25 value)

2. The Inn of Infinite Worlds: You into tabletop gaming? Cool! I’ve written a gaming supplement that allows you to give adventurers a true rest before or after a massive boss battle (a $15 value)!

3. The Rise of the Shadow Walker: The origin story of Zuo, the deadliest assassin in Trinity City (a $10 value)!

Upgrade your Life!

You can either listen to the 10,001 people’s advice on how to do anything, most of them who haven’t written a successful book, created a successful comic, or developed a successful game.

Or you can put your phone down, develop your own system to create your stories that you are proud of, and create better works!

Thanks for rolling with Amazing Gaming Productions!

I said I was going to play Hogwarts Legacy, read through The Amber Chronicles, and generally relax.

I didn’t.

I wasted my time doomscrolling!

Fucking doomscrolling X!

Trying to gain traction on Substack!

I wasn’t really resting, I was fucking doomscrolling!

Like an idiot!

Put your phone down and write!

One of my friends, says it all the time, and I’m starting to really feel it.

You can’t be a writer without putting down your phone!

I’m more and more convinced of it!

And taking the least urgent and important task of a writer, creating an author platform, and giving it the most time is insane!

Most of us are not authors, we’re dopamine addicts that are addicted to our phones so much, we never put them down.

No rest, no real progress on our projects, no real scope - our scope becomes social media for 20 hours a week, and writing for 5 minutes (sometimes).

Don’t make excuses

Now, I get the object to this.

Many authors are parents, spouses, have to do adulting, like grocery shop, do laundry, clean house. Sometimes we can’t spend time on writing/art at the time. I really get that.

I had three years where I had to literally keep my Wife alive during her greatest mental health crisis…

And I still:

• Published “The Rise of the Shadow Walker”.

• Published The Fighting Factions and Heroic Histories.

• Adapted Tales from Trinity City into Tales of Glory, with a streamlined modular system.

• Worked on the Inn of Infinite Worlds!

• Wrote 100s of blogs!

• Worked on a mini-course - the already mentioned, How to Avoid Burnout!

Why can I do this, and most people are too busy about fighting about Dungeons & Dragons, the Odyssey, and whatever new controversy out there that comes up on a weekly basis?

BECAUSE I PUT DOWN MY PHONE, I DECIDE TO BE A GAME DEVELOPER AND AUTHOR, AND I CREATE THINGS!

Many people are more interested in their Instagram feeds, or fighting about the next thing on X, or do anything but writing!

And because you’re always on social media building “Your Author/Game Dev Platform”, spending way too much time on an unimportant and mundane task, you are always busy with your book for days, weeks, months, and years longer than it should take.

I wrote Elandrial’s story in 9 days, 62,785 words!

I expect the 2nd draft to take 2-3 days at most, and take it to around 70-80k words, there’s something she investigates while she’s an “Elf minding her own business”, and I want to resolve that storyline - before the sequence of events that lead to the end of the first Act!

You take years, and years to write your book, create your game - and half of that time was spent on Social Media. Don’t you dare deny it!

This is your wakeup call!

This month!

I realized how stupid we are, always focusing on our “author/game dev” platforms, instead of being game devs and authors this year!

This month, in particular:

Worked on “I was Once the Wind, but Now I’m an Elf!”

Worked on the foundation for the Mystamyran sourcebook for Tales of Glory.

And I’m working on the new version of the Temple on Three Rivers in Trinity City.

Look at this beautiful Temple I’ve built in Blender!

So, as I near August 7th, I will be happy to take my break.

I will finish Hogwarts Legacy!

I will finish the Great Book of Amber!

I’m putting my money where my mouth is. Most people larp as game developers and authors, and spend way too much time on social media because they’re addicted. “I need to build my audience.”

What are you offering your audience…

You don’t have an audience if you’re not writing and developing every single day!

So stop saying that!

If you spend more time writing than on social media, you get the right to say, I’m building an platform, because you’re spending more time on your work than on frivolous social media bullshit!

And that’s also why I can take a rest on August 7th, and many going to be too busy building your “Author Platform”, fighting about the next thing you’re supposed to be fighting about!

I love standing on this hill!

Some people make social media so important, they waste too much time on it, which slows your progress, makes them feel guilty about that, and they then spend more time on social media because of their subtle guilt, which wastes more time.

Instead of planting your ass in a chair/bed and creating art and writing!

While I do everything to limit my time on social media, allowing me to get things done and to take a break!

A nice beach break with one of my beautiful Mystamyran Elves!

Reading about Merlin, Corwin’s son, and being my Mac Daddy Wizard saving Hogwarts!

So you have a choice.

Choice 1: Take social media too seriously and waste my time on it, while progress on your projects takes too long, your skills degrade over time because you’re not focusing on them enough.

Choice 2: Decide, right now, to stop “building your author/game dev” platform and actually write and game develop so you can really say you’re an author/game dev!

If you choose the 2nd, I can help you.

How to Avoid Burnout is all about how to make better decisions with your time, so you can limit your scope, focus on what’s really important, and meet milestones!

And you can download that at no extra cost if you upgrade your account to paid!

Upgrade your Life!

Stop kidding yourself!

If you’re on social media all the time, you’re only larping as an Author or Game Dev. You have to produce something if you want the privilege of calling yourself an Author!

And that’s why you don’t get to rest either, you’re too busy doing something that is totally unimportant and definitely not urgent!

Thanks for rolling with Amazing Gaming Productions!

If you’re new here, I’ve been working on Trinity City, a setting for Tales of Glory since Sept. 2019, so I’m nearing 7 years of work.

Phase 1 was exactly what it sounds based on that that sentence:

• Create the sourcebooks for Trinity City.

• Create the world building for Trinity City.

• Create an opening campaign storyline for Trinity City.

All of that is done. Focus + Progress over years = a finished product, and the base of future settings.

Well Phase 2 is exactly the last part - take the base product and adapt it. So, I started to create a map for Mystamyra, because my Elves needed attention.

They’ve been shouting their story since Dec. 31st, 2025, I can absolutely show you evidence of that on my blogs!

And so, I finally got to sit down and write one of their amazing stories. Elandrial, the Elf who literally was just a gust of wind seconds before she had ears to hear, eyes to see, a body to run, jump, dance, sing, laugh, and talk!

And, as I said in a previous blog, I wrote her story, her 62,785 word story, in 9 days!

This is how to do it!

You can’t do it if you’re on your phone!

This is for the people in the back who haven’t got it yet!

Maybe you don’t have 8+ hours a day to write like I have… But I know how it goes on the Internet.

You have 3-4 hours of free time per day. And you’re spending 2 hours on X, arguing about the latest culture war topic every single day. Then you’re on YouTube for a livestream that doesn’t really help you move the needle for another hour or so, and if you do get to writing, it’s 10 minutes…

And you’re building that “Author Platform”.

Writers focus on writing!

If I did that for the last 7 years, I wouldn’t be at Phase 2, let alone doing what I just did - Write Elandrial’s story in 9 days.

Do you know a writer who ever wrote a novel in 9 days in the writing community!

62,785 words, because I spent maybe an hour a day on social media tops during those 9 days. Every word typed by my fingers - NO AI Involved either. I just let Elandrial’s life flow from my brain onto screen, because I wanted to tell her story.

There’s culture warriors fighting all the time, whether they’re woke or anti-woke, telling everyone they’re authors/writers, but mostly they’re just wasting their time with screeds on social media.

They’re not producing an author’s platform, you have to be an author to do that, and you’re only an author if you’re regularly writing books!

Like I said, I won’t hold you to 62,785 words in 9 days. If you go 20-30k in a month, great - a rough draft in three months.

When you get into that kind of flow, where you’re writing at least 10-20 hours a week, you’re going to start to pick up with things.

One of the things I learned when I wrote Elandrial’s story was how wrong even Story Grid gets things… That’s a later blog about how the Internet warps people’s understandings of things, and you should definitely understand things on a personal level, because that’s where the magic really occurs.

When you write/do something so much, things just click and you’re starting to do things with expert timing!

You can’t do that if you don’t write consistently a whole lot.

Skills degrade if you don’t use them, period, end of story!

It’s time to really evaluate, are we really building an author platform, or are we just arguing online while putting very little effort into writing and creations!

Want receipts, here they are!

Well in the last 3 weeks, I have kept social media to less than 3 hours a day during a full day where I can just watch it. And I’ve kept my productivity time to at least twice that or more.

I have to admit, it was fun to work on Elandrial’s story, so it was much more fun to write her instead of arguing on social media about the Odyssey!

I still see stale memes about it on my timeline!

I wonder what the next controversy is, and what memes will be used!

And we’re all “building” our author platforms in that mess!

Do you want to be in the same place in July of 2027 as you are right now, or do you want to publish at least a book on Amazon!

I can help with that, without burning you out either.

My paid subscription will give you the means to organize your life to focus your attention on what really matters so you get there!

All for $5 CAD/Month!

I’m a bad capitalist!

Oh, and you get fun stuff as well!

And you get:

• The Inn of Infinite Worlds ($10 value): A mystery of the Multiverse, showing up when heroes need it the most.

• The Rise of the Shadow Walker ($10 value): Witness the origins of the deadliest assassin in Trinity City!

• How to Avoid Burnout ($25 value): How to focus so you can avoid burnout and accomplish what you want to accomplish!

Unlock your potential here!

Well - if you really want to be a writer and produce great novels to sell to your fans, you need to realize writing comes first, because if you are lazy and choose social media instead, you’re lying to yourself!

Thanks for rolling with Amazing Gaming Productions!

Tuesday, the same, just falling in love with my favourite Mystamyran Elf!

Wednesday, I was nailing her voice and character so hard, I was writing from 8am into 8:30pm again.

You can guess what I did on Thursday. Friday was almost no different, except I wrote my Games are Parakones blog, and then writing more of Elandrial’s story!

And I had my worst week on social media.

This week was no different!

In less than 10 days, I wrote 62,785 words. Here’s the receipts!

Social Media Stinks!

I realized how much I hated social media!

I didn’t want to doom scroll, when I was laughing, feeling excitement, fear, and crying alongside my favourite Elf, Elandrial.

To paraphrase her in the story, Elandrial is mine! She is my Elf, and I am her author! I didn’t care at all about what was happening on social media about the Odyssey - everyone raging. I couldn’t care less, Elandrial’s story was far more fun for me to write!

Every guru out there says, pay attention to this, take an ice cold shower at 1pm, or your day is ruined. Do things at different times every single day.

There’s so much noise designed to take away from your attention.

Even the so-called Good Stuff!

All to build your “Author Platform!”

Ackchyually, gimme a whole lot less slop!

I’m fed up with it.

Do this, do that, react to this and that. You have to engage with culture, and create culture - or you’re not going to make it as an author!

People take social media so seriously, and I can’t take someone who takes social media seriously, well seriously!

You know, if you’re spending more than 50% of your free time on social media, building your “author platform”, you’re not, because you’re not an author!

You actually have to write a book to be an author!

Like 62,785 words as a rough draft in 9 days!

I can say that I am building an author and game developer platform, because I’m writing and game developing!

If you can’t write at least 20k words in a month, you’re not going to make it. I did that by day 3, so 20k in a month are rookie numbers, but the bare minimum!

Rookies are the fledglings of real professionals.

Wannabes just say they don’t have time, while they are spending hours a day complaining about the Odyssey - it’s woke trash. Sure, it is. What are you going to do about that!

I wrote a 62,785 word rough draft in 9 days, because the Odyssey looks like woke trash!

How about you do something to put your money where your mouth is.

I focused on my writing, you should too!

Well, in the last two weeks, I stopped listening to the stupidity of Social Media.

It’ll steal precious writing moments, infect your imagination with stupidity, and just infuse your timeline with despair.

Instead, I spent time with the best girl, Elandrial, and now on the Mystamyran rulebook!

I’d rather spend time with my Elves, than on social media.

Their story is so fun to tell!

So, when I tell you, get off social media. Use it as a tool, not a crutch, I mean it so much more now. I took the plank out of my eye. It’s so easy to stay focused and write now, much better now.

I simply ask, how does this help me on my writing journey?

The answer - it doesn’t.

Doom scrolling doesn’t write the Elves’ of Mystamyra story.

So screw that, I’m working!

As you can see, I am hitting Phase 2 running!

Phase 1 was a great start - Trinity City’s rulebook, source books, and campaign has established the base, and a pretty good standard. Phase 2 is going to where I start tightening and improving everything.

Especially with all the free time I am finding by not diving into every social media trend and controversy!

You don’t need to do that, no, not all.

I promise to use that focus to produce the absolute best tabletop gaming products through Tales of Glory, and the best books possible.

Trust me, I have ideas and plans!

If you support my publication, for $5 CAD/Month, you’ll have access to the following:

The Inn of Infinite Words (a $15 value)

The Rise of the Shadow Walker (a $10 value)

How to Avoid Burnout (a $25 value)

Upgrade to Paid!

You’re not going to make it, if you spend more time on social media than on your writing!

Get real, and change your life!

Thanks for rolling with Amazing Gaming Productions!

Sloppy game design!

It’s bad out there, and while most of the discourse in gaming is whether characters look like DEI rejects, and yes that is a litmus test for me, there are so many examples of bad game design than the women characters looking almost the same as men.

The worst: giving players so many options to make them happy. We give you every possible thing - here’s 180+ choices for Aloy, even when Tales of Glory can clone her character in 8 choices - technician background and powers - Discerning Judgement, Eagle Perception, Force Fields, and Gadgets. Skills - Espionage and Investigation, Marksmanship: Bow, Athletics.

Robert E. Kuntz complimented me on my solution!

Games are too easy!

But game developers are making games easier and easier. Too many options, too many tutorials, too much navigation help!

It’s like they don’t want people to be challenged by their game at all!

They want to be as “inclusive” as possible, by making their games so easy to go through. They hate the phrase - git gud!

Who can hate - git gud!

Elves only like gamers who git gud!

Gamers who love to be challenged while in combat, while they’re exploring, while they building their characters up the way they want.

Difficult games are fun!

Difficulty is what makes games fun - solving a puzzle that was so difficult, it has you on the seat of your pants with every step of the puzzle.

I didn’t stop playing Mass Effect 1 on insanity level when a simple sniper could take out my Shepard in 1 hit, until I had colossus armour. I just git gud!

I didn’t stop playing Dragon Age: Origins because the High Dragon protecting the Temple of the Urn of Sacred Ashes was tough. I just git gud!

I didn’t stop playing Pools of Darkness when they took all my magic from me when I fought the final boss? I just git gud!

And when I went through the final level of the Dark Queen of Krynn, you guessed it, I just git gud!

I figured out each of these difficult games, that challenged me to figure out everything one step at a time. And I’ll always remember them.

Difficult games are so important.

We have these expressions - sore losers and sore winners. They are an expression of people who want to be coddled, they never want to lose and they always want to win. And that shows how little they have grown as people.

Now, let me get deep and mention my title Games Are Parakones!

Parakones is Greek for whetstones, and the root for Paragons.

Not hard to imagine where that would come from. Some Greek General would hold up some soldier’s sword and say, “Parakone!” It was that well sharpened. And the soldiers who were that excellent in sharpening their swords would soon be called “Parakone!”

And that eventually morphs into paragon - these people are the best examples of skill, determination, and strength!

No sword is sharpened without effort, the last time I checked.

Same with people, and the best way to introduce effort to people is games.

Games that make you think, games that make you work with others, games that make you work to make your character their absolute best.

So, games are the whetstones that refine our characters. They are the fires that purge the dross and leave only the fine silver. They are character defining, because you can only be gracious in victory and defeat, or sore losers and winners!

Your choice!

Tales of Glory is not from wimps

Tales of Glory may simplify making your character - I don’t think it should take so long to create a character in my game, so you can go out and adventure.

That’s what makes Tales of Glory fun!

But at the same time, it doesn’t coddle characters.

My first session almost resulted in a total party wipe, when my two players faced two Serpentine Scouts. One was defeated twice (healing packs activated prior to defeat can raise you), and the other was one hit away from defeat…

Second session, the same character that was defeated was almost defeated again.

Third session, the main damage dealer was almost defeated when she took two arrows.

Tales of Glory can be absolutely brutal!

While I have reeled in the difficulty somewhat, like critical hit damage being somewhat reduced, it is still quite difficult still. Be ready for anything when it comes to Tales of Glory. Some things can easily take care of a character within a single round of combat!

In other words, git gud!

I’m barrelling down Phase 2 with Tales of Glory!

First, we’re play testing the Trinity City setting.

Second, I’m already finished writing Act 1 for Elandrial’s story - the introduction to the Mystamyra setting - should have her full story done by the end of the month.

Third, Maps are finished, stories are being written, rules for Mystamyra are coming next!

If you want to read Elandrial’s full story, and it’s amazing. It’s the best thing I have ever written!

Honestly, it is.

So, you’ll get that, what I’m going to say is a $30 value already, for just $5CAD/m.

Not only that, you’ll get:

• The Inn of Infinite Worlds ($15 value)

• The Rise of the Shadow Walker ($10 value)

• And How to Avoid Burnout mini course (A $25 value)

All you have to do is upgrade to paid!

Upgrade to Paid

Games are the Parakones that sharpen us. They are the difference between gracious gamers and sore winners and losers. They force us to git gud - a true testament to who we are.

And that’s why most people try to avoid them, and usually end up arguing online!

So, I invite you to git gud, start gaming!

Thanks for rolling with Amazing Gaming Productions!

At the end of the day, most “official” month-long celebrations exist for one reason: money. Big brands latch onto whatever theme drives engagement and sales. But here’s the part they don’t like to admit, it’s the customers who ultimately decide what sticks. If enough people started saying “July is Pizza Month,” every pizza chain and grocery store would suddenly act like it’s been a sacred tradition for decades.

Last year I got tired of the corporate noise and just said, “Fuck it. July is Elves in Bikinis Month.”

I’m Tired of Pride, Boss!

Sigh!

We know it.

There countless virtue signals from the big corporate game developers, who will completely ignore rainbows in countries that hate gay people during the month of June, and they try to make every month about some kind of “Pride”!

Le Sigh!

Le Sigh, sigh, sigh!

We’re so tired of this shit, and now we have memes that push back on the constant corporate hegemony virtue signalling - “gay rights”!

So, EMI took a step and did something amazing - Elves in Bikini.

Elves in Bikinis are a celebration of Beauty

If you notice how many Elven women I post, because I created an all female, super straight race of Elves who grow with every world they live in, you should know what my take is.

What EMI was doing was more than just fight against the constant rainbow brigade trying to make every month theirs.

Hello, gay people are alive today because heterosexuals decided they desired each other, calmed “the tempests” inside themselves, and procreated a baby - whether that baby was straight of gay.

Elves in Bikini month celebrates that world!

And today, I’m seeing a lot of Elves in American Flag Bikinis, because it’s all about freedom, desire, and love.

Elandrial was the first to don her Mythril Bikini this year. Even danced and showed off for Elf Girls on the Sand!

A celebration of beauty!

Mystamyra Fights for Beauty!

And that’s why I made my Elves the way I made them.

They’re the dream of a normal world again, a beautiful immortal Elf who wants nothing more than to be a wife and a mother, loving her husband every day of his life, and raising their daughter to change the world.

That’s what life is all about.

Legacy that we leave.

I know, deep - for something that is just about a bunch of bubbly Elves in bikinis!

But bubbly women who love their husbands create families with them, and those families change the world.

It’s like Gandalf said, you don’t change the world with grand gestures, it’s the small kindnesses that ordinary people share with each other that keeps the darkness at bay.

So every bubbly Elf in a Bikini is a promise to keep the darkness at bay!

And why I am a proud supporter of it.

Elandrial, Orphiala, Thalendrial, and Sarandrial - the heroic line of Elves - would be proud to support this month. Because Elves in Bikinis is all about the promise Elves bring to the world of Mystamyra - love, and legacy!

Because in Mystamyra, Elves greatest magic is love!

So, that’s what this month means to me - love and legacy!

Elves have a profound role in Tales of Glory, first in Mystamyra, then in the Multiverse. And that all starts with the Inn of Infinite Worlds, a supplement you can own for only $5 CAD/month.

You get:

The Inn of Infinite Worlds (A $15 value).

The Rise of the Shadow Walker (A $10 value).

And How to Avoid Burnout (A $25 value).

And the stories of my Elves will be available for paid subscribers, stories I’ll release between 2027 and 2028, as part of Phase 2!

Upgrade to Paid

Elves in Bikinis are more than just eye candy, they are the hope that beauty and freedom reign in our hearts!

Thanks for rolling with Amazing Gaming Productions!

Two days ago, Rockstar dropped that pre-sales for Grand Theft Auto VI would start at midnight Thursday.

For the low, low price of $80 for the standard edition and $100 for the ultimate edition.

And that’s not all, they also dropped that the only thing you get in the physical copy was a digital coupon to download the game.

Download the Game, Gamers!

I guess Rockstar just wants us to owe nothing and be happy.

Hey guys, you get the right to download the game, and play it, and we have the right to cancel service at any time, because we’re the one’s in control.

But please, input your credit cards to purchase this fine game we created.

And all the gaming media sites that said Rockstar will make a $1 Billion in one hour of pre-sales… As of Hour 34, no such announcement has been made, omg!

And it’s so bad, the Insomniac Games has gone public to say will give you a physical disc for The Wolverine, throwing shade at Rockstar for not giving people a physical disc.

Another bad AAA decision

My take, AAA gaming is making some very bad decisions.

Games filled with a heaping pile of the message, check.

Marketing decisions on having download codes instead of physical discs, check.

Gaming companies told by their publishers, the Nerds who live in the Nerd cave will always come out to buy your games if you brand them RPG/GTA.

And they are paying for those mistakes.

Why the hell should I pre-pay for a digital copy of a game, when pre-sales are there to ensure the first come, first serve system works. I pre-pay to ensure I can walk in give them the receipt and then pick up my copy.

With digital codes, why do I even need to leave my home? Why do I need to ensure I pay for it before the day it goes on sale, because I can go on the Xbox store and order it immediately!

Why should any gamer do anything other than that!

Pre-ordering is to avoid not enough copies.

It’s a digital download, there is no fear of not enough copies!

What a foolish thing to do!

And as many people who see this kind of stuff, it also gives publishers all the power, and consumers absolutely nothing.

Physical copies matter!

The more I read disgusting practices like this, the more I made a real point to make my own materials physical.

Yes, I will have digital copies for Tales of Glory, especially porting it over to VTTs in the future. According to marketing, 60% of gamers use Roll20, or Foundry for games. But I will also do it old style, because 40% of people love having the books, sitting around the table, and playing a game!

This is what marketing research does.

Rockstar must not look at how many people hate the idea of just digital copies of anything.

ALWAYS OFFER BOTH!

Best of both worlds!

Some people want the physical disc, because it’s tactile, and that’s important part of consumerism. I want to feel what the disc feels like, smell the new game smell, and hear that audible click when I close the box.

That is why Apple sells so many iPhones.

Hold the phone, use the phone, look at the phone.

And that’s why I will offer my books as physical books, so you can feel what those books feel like, look up rules on the fly, and pour over every possible character idea out of my modular character creation system!

Look, I get it, I’m just an Indie game dev.

But I get it, I’m a gamer who decided to be a game developer. Because everything from Wizards of the Coast to Rockstar are making some very stupid decisions about gamers, gaming, and games.

If you want games to be a crucible where you test your character’s metal — how about we show the big wigs at Rockstar how it’s done by upgrading your account to paid.

If you upgrade to paid, you can download:

• The Inn of Infinite Worlds: a respite for wary travellers in any tabletop roleplaying game.

• The Rise of the Shadow Walker: the origins of Zuo, Trinity City’s most deadly assassin.

• How to avoid Burnout: If you want to develop games, I have the perfect guide on how to work on something over years without burning out.

Upgrade to Paid

Gamer, let’s teach Rockstar a lesson for not giving a physical disc.

To quote Anakin Skywalker, it’s outrageous!

Thanks for rolling with Amazing Gaming Productions!

I’ve had the pleasure of playing their game and I love it. I definitely suggest it because it has that old style D&D feel for combat, classes, and characters.

So I am happy to tell you about how awesome it is.

Watch the Livestream there!

My Untold Destiny Experience

I was invited to do a one time play test.

Of course, I choose Thalendrial, my very favourite Elven war leader. A no nonsense Elven Ranger who loved to electrify her arrows to take out Orcs and even Imps.

I had serious fun playing their system, and I can see how great the lean Untold Destiny Basic Edition was.

Of course, I had to save Elandir’s ass a few times.

Rushing to be surrounded by orcs is hazardous to a mages health!

My thoughts

First, the character creation was so quick. It took us perhaps 15 minutes to create my Thalendrial, with her long bow and electrified arrows. I was seriously impressed.

Second, the game play was awesome. Using your senses, making sure you’re not getting surprised by anything, and going forward was fun.

Third, I loved the multi-d20 system. Each class rolls with advantage for different attributes, like Thalendrial got 3d20 on her dexterity checks, like shooting her lightning arrows.

What’s Next

They’re going to have their first module out for next month, and I’m excited to see that!

Maybe I’ll see if my table would like to work it, create first level characters and continue an adventure across Cesya.

Interview Questions

I asked Dean and Vicky 5 questions about Untold Destiny to whet your appetites for the game!

Why Should gamers take a look at Untold Destiny Basic Edition

Gamers should take a look at Untold Destiny Basic Edition, because it has been designed for both players and GMs.

GMs – easy adjudication, all of the complicated maths is hidden behind straight forward dice mechanics, and fun, straight forward preparation without having to worry about whether you’ve balanced the encounters or session. The GM should be able to have fun too.

Players – easy learning curve for new and experienced players alike. The reaction system utilising stamina means you stay immersed in the game, even when it isn’t your turn. Combat is slick, streamlined and fun – with plenty of dice to roll. Characters are well defined and fun to play.

Our free 1st level Taster gives you 6 character classes to take out and adventure with!

You’ve often talked about the Red Box (Dungeons & Dragons Basic) set, an excellent start to the hobby, tell me what about that inspired you in your creation of Untold Destiny?

The Red Box set was the first ttrpg that Dean played. Even as a young boy, it was written so that you can get up and playing fairly quickly. It inspired us to create Untold Destiny Basic Edition, as a way to get people rolling and familiar with our basic mechanics. It’s a full Basic system that is suitable for everything from one shots to campaigns, from new players to experienced.

Why did you undertake the long journey of creating your own system, instead of using an existing system?

Very early on in the development of Untold Destiny we were thinking of utilising an existing system, but along the journey we realised that we would have to change / houserule any and all systems that we tried, to be able to accomplish what we wanted with the Cesya campaign setting. That, triggered the start of building the system to work with Cesya and complete our vision.

Tell me what you are most proud of when it comes to Untold Destiny?

5 things:

• The reduction of GM fatigue through easy adjudication.

• The morale system for the control of creatures

• For players the immersive reaction system with the multi-d20 to demonstrate competence

• The natural adventuring day.

• Enables both the GM and players to be immersed in the story.

Tell me THE STORY that tells everyone why they should play Untold Destiny - something that happened in play that no other game would be able come close to?

We were adventuring through a complex, had cleared out a large portion of it and had been exploring for well over 8 hours, with multiple combats and traps we had to circumvent. Our characters decided to sleep in the dungeon, rather than head back into town. We, luckily, had a watch system. During the night we were attacked by an ooze that had tracked us to our sleeping spot.

In Untold Destiny, all of your resources, such as hit points, stamina, and spell points refresh. The only thing that doesn’t are Destiny points.

This meant that even though we hadn’t had a full rest, we were (once roused) able to take on the attacker.

This is what we mean by natural adventuring day. The only thing that can impede you are wounds, but you can compensate for wounds by being careful. If there is a reason that you need to keep going for (think Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas chasing after the Orcs that had taken the Hobbits), you can. You aren’t forced to stop and take indeterminate rest periods to gain back resources. You always have your hit points, stamina, spell points, and your sword and spells (unless you have been careless and lost your sword or spellbook). This allows your GM and players to weave meaningful and realistic stories together and keeps immersion at the table.

I have to admit that was a very intriguing element, healing and resting is always something every game developer thinks about and that is a very unique take on it.

They’re opening up downloads to their world today on DriveThruRPG, have fun guys!

We’re all excited to see what’s coming up next!

Thanks for rolling with Amazing Gaming Productions!

So, I am excited to offer you the solo Daring Tale, Walking Through the Neighbourhood. It is the introductory Daring Tale that teaches all about how Tales of Glory works, and some of the interesting characters you can play in them.

For sarcastic Hugo, to quick and devastating Alisa, the brick that is Valentine, the silent and deadly Valerie, the strong and maneuverable Gert, and the disciplined Kenneth. Choose one of them, or create your own Fame 1 character by downloading the Rulebook and creating your character.

And after that, connect with me and join the play test, every Saturday at 1pm (EST)!

Daring Tales

Solo:

Walking Through the Neighbourhood - What starts as going to get your mom and you dinner ends up as your first adventure into the world of Trinity City. Create a character of your own, or use one of the 6 pre-generated characters.

It’s Tales from Trinity City Thursday, and this week is the first full week of Phase 2!

As I said prior, Phase 2 is all about getting the other 3 settings for Tales of Glory finalized, Phase 1 and 2 Trinity City completed in Blender, and migrate everything over to a VTT — since all the young gamers are using it a lot.

So, what’s on the agenda today!

What’s on the agenda:

• GTA 6 — no physical copy, and a steep price increase - $80 for something you don’t own, and my promise to everyone about pricing and physical ownership.

• The Beginning of Phase 2 - The Map of Mystamyra is finished.

• Playing Walking Through the Neighbourhood with Luke Skywalker!

GTA 6

All I can say, the price tag for a digital copy is just ridiculous!

You don’t even get to have a copy of the game!

You’re renting it out for $80.

Of course, this makes me want to double down on physical copies even more — I want you to know you own Tales of Glory, every victory, every crushing defeat. It’s yours, not at the whim of people who think they get to dictate how you play your game.

Your table, your rules!

Map of Mystamyra

Last week, and this week, I have been working hard on the map.

I love taking a two tiered approach to everything. I broke out my note book and drew out the start of Mystamyra. After that, I scanned it in and spent hours a day starting that Tuesday last week until I got everything finished on Wednesday - every sketch line, every inked line, every painterly brush stroke.

And then I took it into Grok Imagine and prompted it to change the style to a pulp style fantasy map!

I asked Elandrial, and she thinks it looks amazing, and can’t wait to show it off tonight!

Playing as Luke Skywalker!

After this, we’re going to play Walking Through the Neighbourhood with a Fame 1 Luke Skywalker.

Is the Force strong enough to help him face a bunch of punks, or will he find himself out classed!

You can watch me tonight on X!

Daring Tales

Solo:

Walking Through the Neighbourhood - What starts as going to get your mom and you dinner ends up as your first adventure into the world of Trinity City. Create a character of your own, or use one of the 6 pre-generated characters.

Luke was a great character that inspired me as a young one.

You could say that Tales of Glory wouldn’t exist if Luke Skywalker didn’t exist.

But Luke wouldn’t be Luke if it weren’t for Vader!

And so, we look at the two villains who terrified an entire Galaxy:

Darth Vader and Darth Sidious

The Brutal and Villainous Sith Lords

Darth Sidious and Darth Vader’s builds are so iconic, Gifted is the best start to both of them.

Vader will be all about being a frontline combatant, but Sidious will be there as a high damage backup, using stealth and lightning powers to wreak havoc on the battlefield.

Since Vader is a frontline combatant, he’ll be Anti-Heroic - a bonus to Strength and Will over doubles his damage output by the end of your career.

Sidious on the other hand, will be Villainous - having henchmen with — three standard stormtroopers, and one of his throne room guards.

Darth Vader

Fame 1: Vader is all about complete control of the battlefield with Telekinesis and his swordplay - and we will be starting from there.

Primary Power 1: Telekinesis

Primary Power 2: Cosmic Will

Primary Skill: Martial Arts: Way of the Sword.

With Telekinesis and Cosmic Will, he’s going to be quite powerful at both laying the smackdown and controlling the battlefield.

Fame 7: Being on the Frontline has its hazards, so now I would start to add to his damage mitigation, and let’s take that Will of his to another level.

Secondary Power: Energizing Endurance

Secondary Skill: Mindfulness

Energizing Endurance both helps defence and offence — since he both gets more health and energy. Mindfulness helps his combat abilities further, more Will and better Combat Mod.

Fame 10: We finally maximize his combat abilities with his last choices.

Tertiary Power: Eagle Perception

Tertiary Skill: Athletics

These add extra damage, health, speed, combat skill as well.

Strengths: Vader will be one of the strongest frontline combatants possible — tearing things apart with his swordplay and Telekinesis. He’d be frightening from up close.

Weaknesses: Long Ranged characters who are fast will be able to get past his defences fairly easy — but this may be mitigated by having a high Defensive Rating with Indestructium Power-linked armour.

Darth Sidious

Fame 1: We start Darth Sidious with what makes him so dangerous — his will and insight.

Primary Power 1: Cosmic Will.

Primary Power 2: Eagle Perception

Primary Skill: Mindfulness

This makes him an absolute insane mentalist type character - he doesn’t need “the force” he simply understands everyone around him and subtly gets them to do what he wants.

Fame 7: Now we add some abilities to protect himself, by being hidden in plain sight.

Secondary Power: Telekinesis

Secondary Skill: Espionage and Investigation

These give him the ability to not be seen, making him more into a stealth assassin that has limited crowd control abilities.

Fame 10: We finalize his Lightning Mastery and his swordplay.

Tertiary Power: Lightning Mastery

Tertiary Skill: Martial Arts: Way of the Sword.

This gives us the Darth Sidious who is a silent killer who uses stealth to defeat his opponents.

Remember he’s villainous, so he gets 3 Fame 3 stormtroopers and 1 Fame 6 Throne room Guard, so that adds to the chaos.

Strengths: Using stealth to inflict critical hits on every attack and doing a large amount of damage through lightning mastery will make him deadly, if you’re not paying attention to him.

Weaknesses: If you focus on him, his fraility will make him easily defeatable.

Darth Vader, with Darth Sidious, and a few of Sidious’s allies would be quite formidable, and not to be underestimated!

So, how would you create this character in the Fame System?

Link to Tales from Trinity City!

Thank you for Rolling with Amazing Gaming Productions!

• The mechanics of the game - done.

• The opening story everyone gets to play - done.

• The deep lore driving what’s happening in the world - done.

I spent the last seven years of my life on Trinity City, the opening setting for Tales of Glory!

And today, I am going to teach you how to have the same kind of endurance while creating something meaningful!

The Difference between the 100 and 30!

We all have passion projects, or things we really want to do.

Many people want to write a book, create a comic, develop a game, produce a YouTube channel.

Some of us may start and end up an exhausted heap of burning garbage on the side of the road, completely burned out — and there’s a reason why nobody talks about.

Out of 1000 people, only about 50-100 actually start writing that book, and only about 30 people finish it.

What’s the difference between the 100 people who start and the 30 people who finish?

Well, it’s all about how to manage your time, energy, and focus.

If you’re trying to juggle too much, you will end up going nowhere, period.

So, today, as I just finished phase 1 of Tales of Glory, I’m going to teach you how to make your own game/book/comic without burning out.

Scope, Focus, and Rest is key!

So, those almost 7 years of work have taught me some valuable things.

First, is scope.

I know the guy who says, “I’m am going to start a youtube channel as I create a video game, while I’m researching how to write a good video game story, learn Blender, how to animate things, and code,” is going to ultimately fail at their project.

They are putting a 3 pound steak on a sandwich plate.

Boom, everything is going to shatter everywhere!

Scope is one the greatest killers of energy out there. The more things you put on your very limited plate, the more everything falls apart.

You only have so much brain power.

Since I have so many great ideas of what to do for Phase 2 - finishing each new setting for Tales of Glory - stories, rulebook, and campaign, while studying VTTs and building various Blender assets, I know this is only accomplished one step at a time.

I’m deciding to get right into the Elves story of Mystamyra. Limit your scope and you will succeed.

Second is focus.

This is related, as if you have that many things you have to do, your brain is going to get all messed up. You can’t do all of these things at the same time, there’s studies that show you will slow down your speed of work when you multitask way too many tasks.

No, multitasking is not a super power, it’s kryptonite.

Don’t even believe that.

With phase 1 done, I’m focusing on the map of Mystamyra right now, to have a visual representation of the stories I am planning right now.

After that, I’ll write the rough draft of Elandrial’s story at the minimum, and hopefully even get up to Thalendrial’s birth.

And finally, when you add Scope and Focus together, you get to do something most gurus would gasp in dismay:

REST!

Yes, that elusive word most creatives never get to hear.

REST!

REST, REST, REST!

Yes, I’m shouting from the rooftops, because hustle culture has infiltrated creative circles everywhere.

You need weekly and periodic rests.

Rests are a way to read, play games, and have fun!

How to Get on Track!

So, how can you limit your scope, increase your focus and actually rest so you can create something meaningful?

First, ask yourself what is the most important and vital tasks first.

That will ultimately lower your scope to a manageable way.

Second, just focus on one task at a time and get it done, and then go onto the next.

This will actually speed up your productivity — you’re in the flow more and can quickly switch to a new task when the last one is done.

Third, take a break on a weekly and periodic cycle.

I take off as much as the 4th month of every 4-month work cycle I’ve created — April, August, and December.

These will let you accomplish more in less time while you have time to rest.

It makes things so much easier for me.

It’s why, in the last seven years, I’ve done all of these:

• Published Webtastic Stories: Fear and Loathing on the Internet.

• Finished the playable copy of Trinity City rulebook, Fighting Factions source book, Marvels of the City source book, and Heroic Histories source book.

• Finished a very streamlined and easy to use character sheet.

• Published the Rise of the Shadow Walker: the first Tales of Glory story.

• Published Webtastic Stories: The President of the Internet Election Parody.

• Wrote 100s of blogs.

• Created many scenes for Trinity City in Blender.

• Created the history of the Elves of Mystamyra in my mind - soon to be written.

• Planned out most of the stories before and after the multiverse in my mind - soon to be written.

• Read 100s of books.

• And have so many ideas where to go next with this project.

This is because I know the importance of Scope, Focus and Rest.

I hope I have opened your eyes to the benefits I’ve learned over the last 7 years.

To quote Yoda, “Mind what you have learned, save you it can!”

This is the difference between the person who burns out and wonders, how do they do it, and the people who consistently deliver on a regular basis!

I have an detailed guide that can help you become a person who can deliver more consistently — earning the trust of your audience!

Upgrade to Paid

So, it’s easy to get something accomplished over the next 7 years.

You just have to limit your scope, apply focus, and get to work.

One thing at a time is a super power that most people think kills productivity.

It doesn’t, so get to it!

Thanks for rolling with Amazing Gaming Productions!