Arcana Creations General Update

It's been a few days since the passing of my cat and I am doing better but lately, I have come to do some thinking about Arcana Creations in general.  I normally take stock of what we're doing, what we've done, and what we have yet to do about once a year but it's been a very difficult past couple of months.

My day job takes it's toll, my wife is currently out of work and seeking new employment, and the declining health of Medea and her subsequent passing all have added additional stresses making it difficult to get much progress on current projects.

However, Arcana Creations will be pressing onwards.  I think we've done well since the start of 2012 despite minor setbacks and delays in terms of maintaining and rebuilding a presence online.  The readership on this blog is actually up and higher this year than previous years due to my constant efforts.  As far as 2012 releases go, technically the only thing to have come out was the Summer issue of the Domesday e-zine but two physical releases are due by the end of Q4.  These are both adventure modules for Castles & Crusades, and the first of these two is entitled 'Hide In Plain Sight'.  It was originally slated for an earlier release but delays caused the release to slip a bit this year.  Despite this, the second C&C module entitled 'Mystery at Morfurt' is on target for a release towards the end of the year.  As it happens, both of these will likely be released within close proximity of each other.  Arcana Creations will also be putting together the Fall issue of the Domesday e-zine which should be out the end of October in time for Halloween.

The one project that has continued to shape and morph since it was initially announce is Ballista.  While work is progressing on the rules that will make up the 'Ballista Rules Companion', I am now uncertain if it will actually see a release anytime before the second quarter of 2013.  That said, a line Ballista supplements and scenarios is also being developed which will be compatible and/or system neutral with other great systems derived and/or inspired by D&D and AD&D.  This will also be happening in 2013.  In short Ballista will become the 'house brand' for Arcana Creations.

Due to our partnership to Brave Halfling Publishing, we have proposed and pitched the idea for a supplement for their X-Plorers game which both John and I are very excited about but I have no firm timeline on that and won't really explore one till the end of this year.  However, if you are a fan of X-Plorers, I hope this one will prove of interest to all of you.

Lastly, Arcana Creations has received an exclusive license to produce a new game/line.  The license is secured though it's still VERY early as we are still in the planning phase.  The only thing I will say for sure at this juncture is that it derived from an already existing and published system and that the first product would release towards the 4th quarter of 2013.

Next year will represent a change of pace for Arcana Creations and it will give greater focus on products which are not strictly C&C.  This doesn't mean I'm dropping C&C -- it remains my 'go to' Fantasy RPG.  However, for those who have followed my blog or know me well enough, I don't limit myself to any one system.  I happily backed the Sword & Wizardry KS which just ended  and love other various systems depending on the style I want to go with.  In truth, I am interested to see how sales will go for the two modules releasing later this year since the C&C game still seems to be enjoying some growth.  Incidentally, while I don't care too much for some of the Illusionist spells added since the 4th printing of the PHB, the new 5th printing is simply awesome with it's color pages.  Aside from appearance, the only significant change was the tweaks to the Encumbrance System which make it simpler and sleeker.

Anyway, to all me readers who continue to read and follow my blog, you have my thanks!  I am committed to Arcana Creations and I hope to continue see it to grow between now and the end of 2013 and really want to release stuff that you guys will want to see and use!

I am on vacation as of today as well as next week but will be around and catching up on  updates and some of the work I have piling up.  In short, I'm only taking time off from my 9-5 job to do the work that I would rather be doing full-time anyway.

Cheers!

M