Monday Musings #146
Musings on WIP and Civilians.
Good Monday, Gamer!
“I am everyday people…” —Sly and the Family Stone
Welcome to Q2, 2026. IYKYK.
Sword & Blade kicked off with a session zero that felt properly mythic—big energy, sharp edges, and just enough mystery to lean into. I’m playing Kormel, an apprentice wizard sky raiders took his parents and he’s left with a secret map disguised as jewelry. I’m eager to see what Stras does with that! The table is young, hungry, and already tangled: two sisters (a smith and a thief), a bird-person of Hexed origin, all set against Iskanard, in the frozen north. It has that early-campaign electricity where anything could happen.
No Occulted KC (my weekly MOnster of the Week game) this weekend—the FLGS café was closed, and spring break logistics won out. Instead, I’m planning a series of smaller, focused Broken Worlds sessions across the week with Max.
I’m digging into a rough draft of Lifted from Nathan Paoletta, who is HARD AT WORK!! He does make me look like I know something!
In Ars Magica PbtA land, I’ve reached a happy point with the spell casting moves. Not “done,” but enough to see the shape of the system and, more importantly, get it to the table. Next up is combat, and I’m circling a few priorities: declare actions first, resolve with dice in a PbtA frame, and let the fiction carry the sequencing rather than strict initiative. I want that Sorcerer-style tension—commit, roll, then discover how it all collides.
Touching Grass
I spent most of the week socializing with non-gamers—mostly Gen X, a couple of boomers. Dinners, a happy hour, a second date (but fourth outing), some day drinking, and a strip club. I’m always fascinated by how obscure our hobby looks from the outside. Ticket to Ride is the only game mentioned outside mainstream games. A couple of people had “heard of D&D” —these folks are Gen X folk with a couple of Boomers!! I’m the odd one out for not knowing Pluribus, The Pit, or not having watched Game of Thrones or The Expanse. They blanked on The Creator, Tenet, and 3I/Atlas. The most interesting bits from the “for fun” lists were: singing at church, baking ( a side gig), and garage sailing.
The World Cup came up more than once—specifically, whether Kansas City is ready for it. There’s a low hum of anxiety there, which gets ramped up by the conversations around AI; I wish we were more patient and caring with each other around this topic (another post in progress). Politics were vomited out unsolicited, from a couple of dudes. I don’t let stupidity pass; my default move is simple: “Say more about that.” Not to debate, not to convert—just to see how far the thought goes. It’s a short game, and usually a revealing one. My veteran status came up, and the question “Did you ever kill anyone?” often follows…from a dude.
The standout moment of the week, though, was meeting Gunnery Sergeant Quiñones. Hardcore Advanced Squad Leader player, deeply committed, dismissive of D&D and Traveller as too soft for his tastes. We became fast friends, buying rounds, telling tales and tipping dancers until last call...aka carousing. And finally, my Uber driver—26—plays weekly Daggerheart, went to Planet Comicon KC, and lit up talking about Stranger Things.
ICYMI
Sarah Doom Design Diaries: Design Diaries: Deep Dive on the Witchborn
Daydreaming about Dragons: Spring Gaming!
Checkout Sean Nittner: Monday Nights in Iskanard AP write-up.