If it feels like it’s been a while since you’ve heard from us, you’re not wrong. The first quarter of 2025 has been a whirlwind for the team here at Epic Table Games. Behind the scenes, our schedule has been nothing short of full throttle as we’ve worked to maintain strong, reliable partnerships with our global collaborators. As creators, we thrive on vision—but as publishers, we rely on infrastructure. And when that infrastructure gets disrupted by global uncertainty, the best thing we can do is slow down and reassess before forging ahead.
In recent months, the escalating geopolitical tensions and resulting tariffs have had a substantial impact on international trade. While we remain optimistic, it’s been a challenge navigating the ripple effects these changes have introduced across the tabletop industry. We’ve spent a significant amount of time communicating with our international contacts to better understand the scope of these changes and how they’ll impact everything from printing and materials to logistics and shipping.
We want to take a moment to extend our deepest gratitude to our fans, supporters, and the broader TTRPG community. Your patience and understanding during this uncertain time means more to us than we can express. This situation is unprecedented, and while it affects the entire industry, it hits the hardest for smaller independent publishers like us—teams that don’t have the safety nets or mass-production options that larger entities enjoy. We know we’re not alone in this, and we know many of you are backing dozens of indie projects that have had to hit the brakes.
The reality is, we’re still assessing our best move forward. We have several exciting projects in various stages of development—some deep in the writing phase, others closer to release—but until we can get a clear picture of how these changes affect our suppliers, printers, and the physical materials we depend on, we’re taking a more cautious pace. Our goal is to deliver quality, without compromise.
Unfortunately, the first project affected by this pause is Dark Noir, our flagship urban fantasy setting that we had originally planned to launch through Backerkit in February. That decision wasn’t easy—but it was necessary.
What’s Happening with Dark Noir
As many of you know, Dark Noir was scheduled to launch on Backerkit earlier this year. Unfortunately, the ongoing tariff conflict and economic uncertainties—particularly those surrounding cross-continental trade—led us to postpone the campaign. That decision came after a long and productive conversation with contributor Benn, who helped us weigh the realities of our international collaborations. Between our authors, artists, and production contacts overseas, we realized that pushing forward would’ve created more problems than solutions. And when tensions between the U.S. and China began to escalate, it only confirmed that we’d made the right call—dodging that minefield was luck, strategy, and timing all rolled into one.
But a delay doesn’t mean Dark Noir is in limbo. Far from it.
We’re using this time to bring Dark Noir directly to players, reviewers, and con-goers. Every table we’ve run, every comment we’ve received, has helped shape and refine the game. The feedback we’ve gathered has been instrumental in helping us continue to sharpen mechanics, clarify rules, and hone the experience.
It’s also opened the door for us to explore new art partnerships—artists who can bring the gritty mood and supernatural tension of Ironport City to life, while helping us lower the overall cost of our crowdfunding goal. That’s a win for everyone, and it gets us one step closer to a sustainable launch.
Our goal now? A second revised edition of Dark Noir later this year. This version will be tighter, cleaner, and easier to understand and play. It will still be the same brooding, brutal world you’ve come to expect—but delivered with more polish and precision than ever before.
Our Focuses Outside of Publishing Adventures
If you’ve been following Epic Table Games for a while now, there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with our podcast, SideQuests! It’s where we step away from the GM screen and into the greater tabletop community—partnering with Mike TaylorLyfe of Chaotic Chronicles to shine a spotlight on creators, designers, writers, and visionaries who are shaping the TTRPG space in their own unique ways.
Behind the scenes, we’ve been working hard to load up our fourth season with more guests, more compelling topics, and more original content than we’ve ever produced before. The truth no one really warns you about content creation? It’s grueling. It takes a ton of time, energy, coordination, and follow-through. But it’s also been incredibly rewarding.
This past half-year, we’ve been laying a foundation that’s already paying dividends. The connections we’ve made, the stories we’ve shared, and the conversations we’ve sparked have opened the door to new possibilities and partnerships. And as we start to map out what our fifth season will look like later this year—in the twilight months of 2025—we’re more energized than ever.
Season Four isn’t just a continuation of what we’ve done before. It’s a level-up. And we’re proud of the momentum we’re building, one episode at a time.
A Note About GenCon Press Credentials
The largest four days of gaming are right around the corner, and this year marks a surprising first for us: our press badge application for GenCon 2025 was declined.
We know that many of our friends, fans, and fellow creators look forward to catching up with us at the biggest gaming convention in North America, and we want to assure you—we’re still going. We’ll be there, doing what we always do: talking shop, connecting with our favorite creators, and immersing ourselves in the energy and creativity of the community.
That said, we’re shifting gears in how we cover the event. One of the biggest lessons we learned from last year is that audio content is simply more agile. Recording and releasing interviews, impressions, and recaps via SideQuests! allows us to get content out during the convention itself—something that’s much harder to do with traditional written articles, which require time to edit, polish, and properly publish. This pivot means quicker coverage, more spontaneous moments, and a stronger connection to what’s happening in real time.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention one of the biggest hurdles we faced last year: we lost access to our primary Facebook account. It wasn’t due to hackers or a system glitch—it was, in a twist of bitter irony, a simple case of user error. That loss set back a lot of our plans, especially when it came to staying connected with contacts, fulfilling media commitments, and maintaining momentum post-convention. Even now, nearly a year later, we’re still catching up on reviews and articles we had hoped to release within weeks of GenCon 2024.
So, while things might look a little different this year, we’re not stepping back—we’re just evolving. Our goal remains the same: to spotlight creators, elevate indie voices, and share the stories that make this community so incredible.
The Importance of Health—Mental, Physical, and Emotional
One of the long-standing beliefs we’ve held at Epic Table Games has been to keep our personal lives separate from the business we put forward. For the most part, it’s a practical philosophy—keeping things clean and focused for our audience. But we’ve come to recognize that, especially in indie publishing, this mindset can also leave people in the dark, wondering why delays happen, why communication lapses, or why activity on our platforms seems to vanish at times.
That’s something we want to change. And that starts by sharing a bit more about what’s been happening behind the curtain these last few months.
Rob—the Epic Mastermind behind the screen—was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following a near-death workplace injury in 2023. Since then, he’s been navigating life with both a new physical disability and the ongoing challenges that come with mental and emotional trauma. PTSD is a relentless condition, and when certain triggers are met, it can make even basic functioning feel impossible.
In November 2024, that reality hit hard. A major PTSD episode shut everything down—emotionally, mentally, creatively. Focus became elusive. Motivation disappeared. Depression and anxiety settled in and made everything heavier. It took months of intensive therapy just to rebuild a sense of normalcy and reclaim the capacity to engage again.
Then, as if that weren’t enough, February brought another unexpected blow—Rob was hospitalized for kidney failure caused by a kidney stone. Yes, a kidney stone. Something so small nearly became life-threatening. Though the procedure to treat it was standard, the experience itself was anything but. It left the body aching and the spirit drained.
Through all of this, one truth has been crystal clear: we have to take care of ourselves. Not just when things go wrong, but consistently. Physical, mental, and emotional wellness aren’t luxuries—they’re lifelines.
We’re not sharing this for sympathy. We’re sharing it for transparency, and to build a bridge of understanding between us and you—our friends, fans, and fellow travelers. You’ve stood with us through this journey, and we want you to know what’s shaped the path we’ve walked.
Whatever you’re facing, wherever you are in your own life—please know this: you’re not alone. There are people who care about you, and the TTRPG community is one of the most welcoming, accepting, and compassionate spaces out there. We see you. We support you. And we’re walking this road right beside you.
Looking Ahead
As we step out of the first quarter of 2025, we’re carrying a lot of hard-earned lessons with us—but we’re also carrying a ton of excitement. There’s still so much to come this year. We’ve got plans, passion, and a deep appreciation for the road we’ve traveled so far, no matter how rocky it’s been.
We’re thrilled to remain active in the hobby space and grateful for every opportunity to collaborate, create, and connect with you all. The landscape may be changing, and the challenges may be heavier than we’d like, but the creativity in this community continues to shine. We’re looking forward to the bold, innovative solutions other creators will dream up in the months ahead—and even more so, we’re excited to keep building right alongside them.
Thank you for sticking with us, for understanding the pauses, and for continuing to believe in the stories we want to tell. Dark Noir isn’t done. Epic Table Games isn’t done. This journey is still unfolding—and we’re glad you’re here for it.
Stay sharp. Stay kind. And keep rolling forward.
—Rob De Ville
Epic Mastermind, Epic Table Games
