Year in Review - 2023

Welcome to the end of 2023, the third year of the podcast and a markedly different year than the first two. First, I want to say thank you to everyone who has listened, shared, and engaged with Errant Adventures this year. I didn’t get a chance to do all of the things I wanted to, but I’m incredibly proud of the episodes I did release this year. 

So let’s talk about it!

2023 saw my return to Ironsworn: Starforged for the main campaign with Season 3: Cry Havoc. For this season, I decided to do something a little different and copy my friend Matt, of the Bad Spot Podcast, and run a twenty-four episode season with two twelve episode halves. The first half went really well and I hit 12 episodes at the beginning of April. I took a vacation in early May and as such, planned to take the whole month of May off, filling it in with some short fiction pieces. 

Unfortunately, June and July were two of the most challenging months of my life. My partner and I found out we were pregnant on our vacation in May, discovered there might be complications in early June, and ultimately lost the pregnancy in early July. 

I managed to gut out a handful of episodes through the course of June and July, but if I’m being honest, I should have taken my hiatus then because forcing myself through recording and releasing episodes while grappling with grief and loss led to an incredible amount of burnout. 

I didn’t want to leave the story half finished, but as I worked through the second half of Season 3, I knew I wasn’t going to make it to twenty-four episodes. It wasn’t just the loss; the story felt like it was wrapping up. So I didn’t fight it and ended Season 3 on the last day of July. 

Through it all, I’m incredibly proud of Cry Havoc and consider it to be the best of what I’ve produced so far. 

Let’s talk about some numbers. I released 39 episodes in 2023. I ended 2022 with 47,503 total downloads, and I’m currently sitting at 76,705. That means I had 29,202 downloads in 2023. Comparing that to the 30,600 I had in 2022 feels pretty good considering I released 14 fewer episodes. Thanks again to everyone who listened this year!

I did a few bonus episodes this year including the amazing Tangled Blessings by Cassi Mothwin, Agon by John Harper, and also Stoneburner and Tales of the Burned Stones by RP Deshaies. I loved playing all of those games. Thanks to Cassi and RP specifically for sending me pre-release versions to play. 

My only collaboration published this year is a Youtube discussion show between me and Matt Risby of the Bad Spot. We talk about solo RPGs and how our styles of play have changed through playing these games. You can check out our episodes over on the Bad Spot Youtube channel. 

I’m also working on a secret project with Jon from Tale of the Manticore and I’m hopeful that will see the light of day in 2024. 

Speaking of 2024, I’m hard at work on the new campaign of Errant Adventures which will be a more long form story set in a space opera setting of my own creation. If you want a sneak peak of the universe, you can check out my birthday episode: Lida Blaster and the Domes of Tempora Hasta. 

I’d hoped to start releasing those episodes in January, but I’m trying to build a healthier production schedule and keep a backlog of episodes so I’m not trying to record and edit an episode every week. Due to some minor health issues in the fall (seriously, the back half of 2023 sucked), I didn’t get as far as I would like, so I’m taking more time before I start releasing the new campaign. 

That being said, I do have a treat for you. Starting on January 8th, I’m releasing the first of a four part co-op Ironsworn game I played with a good friend of mine. I think it’s a lot of fun and we came up with some cool story moments. 

I talked last year about streaming, and… I did zero streaming. I was waiting until I could purchase a better camera because I’m obsessed with everything looking as good as possible, but I think I’ve come to the realization that I don’t need to have the crispest, clearest video right now. It’s better to get started and find out if it’s something I enjoy doing before investing more money into a setup. So, I’m throwing down the gauntlet to myself: I want to stream an Ironsworn campaign in 2024!

I started up a Youtube channel and, despite all the advice out on the internet, I’ve been uploading my back catalog. I also wrote, recorded, and published my first direct to camera video, talking about how to get started with Solo Roleplaying. I’ve got ideas for more topics and I’ve been noodling on a few scripts, so I’m hoping to get more direct to camera style videos produced in 2024. 

Part of the reason I’m shifting to creating stories in my own space opera setting is because I’ve been writing stories in that universe for about twelve years. My goal is to publish some of those stories alongside releasing the podcast, and let you all into my world. I think it’s pretty cool. 

As 2023 ends, I’m glad to see it go. I’m hopeful that 2024 will be a better year filled with more creativity and joy. Thank you again for continuing to listen and engage. It fills my heart knowing there are people who enjoy these stories I tell. 

Happy new year and as always, I’ll see you next time!