With 2022 around the corner, this seems like the time to reflect on the things that helped us or brought us joy in 2021. The following is a list of my favorite apps, books, music, podcasts, TV, and video games from the last year, including many that I would recommend to others. The categories for this list are taken from Jesse J. Anderson’s Extra Focus newsletter, but the selections are my own.

Apps

• ​FitOn. I’m a strong believer in the idea that staying physically healthy is important to nourishing creativity and focus. FitOn was my favorite app for working out at home throughout the pandemic. It’s got a pretty extensive collection of yoga, strength training, and cardio workouts, and it can build a “routine” for you based on your fitness goals. The paid version adds popular music to the background of the workouts, but you can’t control what tracks play so it’s more like a radio add-on.
• ​Insight Timer. I’ve tried several guided meditations apps, but often the features you want most are behind a paywall or embedded with ads (which makes sense—content and apps take time and money to create). Insight Timer works on a model similar to YouTube: the content is creator-uploaded and users can donate to creators. Whether you’re looking to relax or fall asleep or become more mindful and aware, chances are you’ll find it here.

This year at Origins Game Fair, I experienced one of the best convention one-shot RPG sessions I’d ever played in—as well as the worst—back to back. This gave me a unique opportunity to compare and contrast what went well in the first session and what went awry in the second, especially in light of my experience as a tabletop RPG professional responsible for developing one-shots as well as demoing RPGs for convention play. Over the last ten years, I’ve run open and VIP tables at large flagship conventions like GenCon and Origins, regional cons such as AcadeCon and Con of the North, and local mini-cons on college campuses and at my own home. Over the years, I’ve also made my fair share of mistakes that I hope you can learn from.

Although there are many aspects to consider when planning and running an RPG one-shot at a convention, I think that focusing on three elements of the session will give you a solid foundation and yield the best payoff per hour of prep spent. These three essential ingredients are: 1) exciting and accessible pre-generated character sheets, 2) a scenario that is optimized for one-off play, and 3) excellent player management at the table. In this first part of the three-part series, let’s take a deep dive into the first ingredient: pre-gens.

In this episode of the Nice Games Club podcast, I got to chat with hosts Ellen, Mark, and Stephen as well as fellow guest (and good friend) Jon Kiehne about some of my favorite topics: roleplaying games, game mastering, and game design. The Nice Games Podcast is a Minneapolis-based crew that usually focuses on gamedev in the video game space, but in this episode we examined the subject of game design through the lens of tabletop game mastering. Some of the things we talked about included the dynamic between system design and session design, the balance between planning and improvisation, and how players can be encouraged to participate in the process. You can listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, on the web, or in the embedded video below!

Today my debut novella Ice and Snow has been published as part of the first volume of The Great Clans of Rokugan! This story of political intrigue and swashbuckling romance follows the heir to a samurai clan as her skills as a diplomat and duelist are put to the test. For those of you familiar with Legend of the Five Rings, this tale is set five years before the Living Card Game storyline and offers an early glimpse into the star-crossed relationship between Doji Hotaru and Bayushi Kachiko.

Doji Hotaru’s reputation is tarnished by the fact that she did not compete in the Topaz Championship—the illustrious dueling tournament put on by her own teacher and his dueling academy. The Emperor’s illustrious Winter Court would be the perfect place to restore her stature and prove her worth to her clan, but she is forced to stay behind, serving as the acting lord of her clan’s ancestral palace instead. But when the Mantis Clan launches a surprise attack against on of her clan’s island keeps, it falls to Hotaru to keep the peace and avoid a war at all costs.

As Hotaru runs out of diplomatic solutions, the Emperor sends the infamous and alluring Scorpion Clan courtier, Bayushi Kachiko, as his emissary to arbitrate the dispute. But what secrets does Kachiko hide behind her mask, and will Hotaru be able to win Kachiko to her side?

You can read the first two chapters of the story on the Aconyte Books web site (make sure to click the cover under the Read For Free Now section) and order your copy in ebook or trade paperback format from these booksellers in the US (and many more). The UK release will be February 17, 2022.

Bookshop | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Google Play | Rakuten Kobo

Legend of the Five Rings

The realm of Rokugan is a land of samurai, courtiers, and mystics—dragons, magic, and divine beings. Here, the seven Great Clans have defended and served the Emperor for over a thousand years, in battle and in the imperial court. Yet while conflict and political intrigue divide the clans, the true threat awaits in the darkness of the Shadowlands. Originally created in 1995, the Emerald Empire has been explored through Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game, Battle for Rokugan, the Legend of the Five Rings Roleplaying Game, Adventures in Rokugan, and Legend of the Five Rings Fiction.

The Bewitching Hour is a solo journaling microgame of gothic romance. Inspired by such works as Crimson Peak, Dracula, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, as well as the works of Jane Austen, this game pays homage to the gothic genre without taking itself too seriously.

As you play, you’ll discover your character’s traits, the rumors and secrets surrounding the lord of the manor, and what happens during one fateful, stormy night. The core “gameplay loop” involves answering prompts, following directions, and choosing or rolling for multiple-choice answers. In summary, you’ll use your imagination (occasionally aided by a random dice roll) to come up with a pair of characters and a story between them that you enjoy. As a “journaling” game, you’re encouraged to chronicle your answers and choices in whatever manner you see fit. You could journal in first-person POV, narrate your tale in third-person POV prose, or draw the scenes out as a comic. The choice is entirely yours!

Without further ado, you can download your preferred version of The Bewitching Hour below. Please do not redistribute this game without permission, but feel free to share this link with your friends!

• Download the Digital Edition – Play using Adobe Reader on your tablet or desktop (mobile not recommended)
• Download the Print Edition – Play using a hardcopy pamphlet printed on legal-sized paper
• Download the Print Edition Instructions – Learn how to print and fold the pamphlet as intended

If you would like to be notified of updates to these game files or would like to receive free resources and advice on writing, roleplaying, and gamemastering, please consider subscribing to my newsletter:

Thank you for Signing Up

Please correct the marked field(s) below.

Katrina’s

Newsletter

Subscribe to receive free resources and advice
on writing, roleplaying, and gamemastering:

1,true,6,Contact Email,21,false,1,First Name,21,false,1,Last Name,2

Newsletter Signup