Ok, so believe it or not constantly writing articles isn’t my particular strong suit. But I suppose I come in clutch as well with an awesome savior of a piece like this one, but the truth of the matter is that is that I really have no idea how this will turn out. You can’t fault me for trying though, especially now that SideQuests! is back up and running, and we’re ready for the next steps of Dark Noir!
Let’s talk about some of the oldest news first; SideQuests!
In April of 2024 we had announced that our longtime host of SideQuests!, Eli Ninnemann was stepping away from the show. We had reached a crossroads where of our personal beliefs were too deviated to produce the best podcast possible. This was also met with a bittersweet relief, as I was personally starting to feel incredibly burnt out with all of the responsibilities I had taken on myself on top of SideQuests! not getting to where I thought it could or should be.
So after our friendly goodbyes, SideQuests! went on a small hiatus, and I wasn’t really sure if I was going to bring it back. We had 126 episodes, just over two years, and four hosts join me – now it could be said that I was the common factor in all of them, and I’m sure an argument could be made that I’m not the worlds easiest person to work with but as far as I know we all ended things politely and wishing the best for everyone. I don’t see any animosity, nor wish any on any of our previous hosts.
But all good things come to an end, don’t they? I thew out a question in a creative network about bringing back our SideQuests, and if anyone would be up for joining. I was surprised when Mike Taylor (linktr.ee/miketaylor547) said he’ll give it a shot! So, we did a few test runs, and our first episode was released on June 15th, 2024. So, is a two month hiatus really a hiatus? Well, we weren’t releasing epsidoes at the time, so we went from weekly to nothing, and when we came back we chose to release bi weekly now. Hiatus, lifted!
Mike has been a great asset too. We have a lot of the same thoughts and passions for bringing people together, and honestly this season of SideQuests! is chocked full of guest speakers already. We’ve started a worldbuilding series, we’re due to release an episode about Kickstarting your table top game, we’ve done A LOT. It’s been an incredible journey as he’s helped pick up steam, and he really has a true value to add to the podcast both as a host and behind the scenes.
We did switch Podcast hosting services and…
Well, we love our new host. But getting everything to port over to the website here has been an absolute pain in the ass. We’ll keep working on getting it to automate, but we’re trying to keep server load down by not utilizing the automated cron job (I don’t know what this means by the way, it’s just what i’m told). Once we get everything sorted, we’ll make sure all the episodes are readily available. However, you can find SideQuests! where ever you listen to your podcast anyway.
Dark Noir’s manuscript is written (mostly)
There’s a lot more to Dark Noir than just announcing that the manuscript is mostly written, and that’s that we’ve now taken the steps to properly secure artwork. If anyone remembers our pledge to move away from procedurally generated images as soon as we could, we’re happy to announce that we have! This is extra exciting because we’re working with a few different artists to provide a true specific vibe to Dark Noir itself. We’re working with monster artist Jeremey Hart Illos, and character artist Robin Schutt to develop the artwork for the sections of the book where their individual talents will truly shine.
Not to mention that we’ve been talking with a true editor to fine tooth comb our book to make sure it’s clear, concise, easy to understand, and flow in a logical manner. Hell, you can’t beat that especially when confronting whatever goes bump in the night.
This has also lead to a super cool development! We’ve scaled back the core rulebook to supply a Pre Release Preview, which should be available mid August. This preview will show you all the cool bits and bobs of Dark Noir before it gets to Kickstarter to crowd fund our baby to life. But, check this out! I said we were getting away from artwork that wasn’t created by people, and I threw together my own cover for the sample which you can see below. I’m not sure if it’ll go on the book or not, we’re sourcing cover artists as well.
GenCon ’24
50th Anniversary of Dungeons and Dragons, and my third year at GenCon? Well I’ll be! Of course some things line up just perfectly, and this was a year that was going to really show us how the stars can align. Epic Table Games will be at the Indianapolis Convention Center as early as 12pm on Thursday to dive into the best four days in gaming!
Last year we made a personnel switch, so we brough on Luke Zondervan this year to really help us nail down our schmoozing game. I can talk, but it’s been a lot more difficult since I had an unfortunate accident in a different field of work last year. But! Don’t worry, because our plan is to write, record, talk, introduce, find, tell, and collaborate with as many people as we can this year.
Did you know that phones have gotten so good at working like a Camera, I don’t even need to bring my whole camera rig this year? It’s incredible, especially considering I broke down the shoulder rack to make space for other equipment I’m not using in the office.
What we’re really hoping is to be able to make a few new connections and touch base with a few old ones, enjoy the ENnie’s, and congratulate everyone who’s participated, won, and the staff for another year of enjoyable entertainment with the hobby we all love.
What’s next for Epic Table Games?
Well our biggest project to date is Dark Noir, and that’ll move to Kickstarter later this year. We have another project intended for our World of Atheria, titled “The Last Dragon of Rys,” and it’s a kickass fun adventure so far. Something we haven’t toyed with in style and tone, so it’s exciting.
And we’ve heard a lot of huge feedback from our Everyday Heroes adventures, Rise of the Street Legends and Whispers from the Alley are performing very well, and our fans would like to see some sort of extended lore, and setting for both of these adventures. It’s on the list of things to do, and hopefully we’ll be able to start by Christmas.
Some business stuff to round this up.
Epic Table Games has been crushing it by own standards – we’re still a small company with very little clout, and while we’re trying to find our perfect place, we’re still making some solid waves. Whispers from the Alley is our absolute top performer in book sales across all mediums, and The Lost Libraries of Tymbaria (a desert themed adventure compatible with 5e) is our most consistent seller in the US, UK, and Germany.
