On Walking, On Writing, On Experience, On Fear, On D&D, on AFG

I walk at least 1 hour every day. I walk because walking is easy and brings me from point A to B, and this is convenient because I have to go from home to work 5 days a week. I tried once to go to work on foot, the first step became a second step became a third step. Small easy increments, each one bringing you closer. The form of each individual step is not important as long they bring you closer to the where you are going. Measurable progress. The mind is free to think about the past day, how to torment your players, that unfinished boardgame or three in your drawer, the longing for that special person.

I do not write 1 hour every day. I write to ship RPGs and boardgames. I do not write every day because it’s hard and scary. Writing is hard because planting your thoughts into someone’s head with precision is not easy, and writing is about describing a line of thoughts to someone, and all of it builds on the route of the previous text, not only on the fact they you’re closer to finishing because you wrote more. The shape of the already-written text sustains what comes next. Existent text is responsible to sustain what comes next. Writing fully occupies my mind, partly with fear that what I write will not be good enough to prop up what comes next.

Walking is erosion, chipping distance off until it’s gone. It feels very good both while it happens and after. Walking is also making me lose weight. Which is cool and makes me hilariously pleased with myself.

Writing is building, a bit at time, so that the whole works when you are done.  It feels very good both while it happens and after. Not writing enough is also stopping me from releasing as many games as I could, which would make me even more hilariously pleased with myself.

Leveling in D&D is like walking. Loot 100 GP there, kill a gnoll, steal a ship, backstab an ogre. All XPs are good for leveling, take your time, you’ll get there, a step after the other.

Leveling in AFG is like writing. You can faff around and take the occasional stab at it, put a step after the other, but if you are not done, you’re not better off than before, as nothing stops you from undoing and redoing all the steps you’ve taken again and again and again.