2025 Year End Reflections
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From the Stonehome
Community
Community Circle
Goblins in the Red Keep
Shoutout to DrewMakes and his goblin hordes who have run rampant through the Southern Tritos Dominion in the The Red Keep Adventure. Check out his goblin based TTRPG system, Goblins: Roll to Bite and pay your tribute to the Goblin King!
Goblins: Roll to Bite
Art of Dromaria
The art of Dromaria really came into its own this year. We have launched galleries of talented artists we have worked with and will continue to update them into the new year. Please make sure to stop by these folks socials and give these artists your appreciation if you enjoy their work. Yury Nikifarau remains our most prolific contributor and the defining voice for Dromaria’s creatures and monsters. His work is a big reason we won an award on the Klaxon Thresher. A big part of where we are right now is owed to Yury. Thanks man, we love ya!
Accomplished
This year there was constant forward momentum. Endless posting on social media and in Discord kept us connected. We kicked things off with a D20 Interview featuring WobbleRocket, then followed it up by subjecting Cas, Viktor, and Kati to our questioning torture.
We released the Roll 420: Greener Pastures, which is free here on the website or available on DriveThru RPG, or our KoFi and Patreon. We also launched our first real collaborative effort with Craig Sokol's Better Food Next Time goblin travel blog. Our online store got up and running, making Dromaria art available for the first time. It features mostly work by Yury Nikifarau and Kari Docekal.
Stonehomegames.com is back up and active. Our main store featuring the comic and more will be there soon. We also published a bunch of articles on a number of different things, from artist galleries to short fiction.
A brand new adventure, we made a ton of advertisements this year for the Kickstarters, Kindred Comics, Renown: The Card Game, and the From the Village Vault Collection (coming soon!) Some of these you’ve certainly seen, while others are on their way as we get more released.
Community support remained central to everything we did in 2025. We back, promoted, and helped fund creators and Kickstarters, including Joy and The Bearded Halfling’s Codex of Celestial’s book, the Welsh DM’s Daggerheart supplement Wondrous Environments, Domille’s Calypso’s Catch, Runic Press’s What’s My Foundation, and a stack of comics. Chuck alone backed ten funded projects this year.
Our major milestones were aplenty in 2025. These included starting the year winning the Pillars of Progress award from World Anvil with the Klaxon Thresher. We were also nominated for several other awards including Best World. There was a major rallying cry from our supporters who got us that far.
We launched and successfully funded our Kindred Comics issue #1 on Kickstarter and created the How to Play Renown video to accompany the Kickstarter launching next year (follow along here!) Renown is now available to play for free on Tabletop Simulator and we were able to play on stream with Wobble and Cas. It was a great time and some brutal back and forth politicking.
Updates happened all across the website to make it easier to use. Along with our articles we also introduced the Graven Rings for World Anvil’s Spooktober event and updated all of the From the Village Vaults in preparation for the Collection which will be available to order soon.
Video Games
Drew
Ravenswatch
Video Game Spotlight: Ravenswatch
This was the roguelite that stood above the rest this year. Ravenswatch is the right balance of Diablo style action and Hades precision. It repeats just enough to stay comfortable without getting stale. The unlocks include fully narrated stories for each character, all based on myths and fairy tales. Any game with Beowulf gets an extra star from me. Multiplayer matters a lot to me, and Ravenswatch supports up to four players. With a full party, the game can get brutal on higher difficulties, but it stays fun. Learning the maps and figuring out our patterns became part of the strategy. Do we split up? Do we focus down casters first? That kind of planning made the runs feel fresh even after many attempts. The dev team is great and updates often. We are taking a break while new content is in the works, but I am excited to come back in 2026 for new heroes and bosses.
Reflections
I bounced around a lot this year across a wide range of games. I recently found myself playing both Civilization VI & VII. Civ 7 multiplayer has become a staple this last month. Minecraft always has a place in my rotation and I would love to see more people on the Stonehome server. We have some cool projects going on there. Absolum is the best beat 'em up out there at the moment. I played a few honor runs in Baldur’s Gate 3 this year and lost them all. My worst game of BG3 is technically still alive, but during my Durge run, after recruiting Minthara, I left the area and Astarion got hit with the undead curse in a cut scene, attacked Minthara and she left. I have yet to return. I finally beat Cyberpunk 2077 and the game is a masterpiece. There was a lot of Slay the Spire Together and Downfall with plenty of losses. I spent more time in Tabletop Simulator this year than ever before, mostly because of Renown being on there. See the board game section for more about that. Chuck and I picked up Soulcalibur VI on sale and he has been beating my ass in that. I played some Risk of Rain 2 earlier this year and would like to return to it later. I enjoy games that don’t hold your hand and expect you to dig up the secrets and lore by exploring. Sunderfolk was great fun playing four player tactics. Sounds like controller support is coming next. I played Nine Parchments with a friend and remember absolutely none of it. Stolen Realm was excellent and one of the few tactics games that lots of people were logging on and we all beat together. Sworn is a lighter version of Hades but has multiplayer, which gives it enough charm to keep going. TMNT Splintered Fate is the better version of that formula and I plan to return once more updates drop. Deadlock, Overwatch 2, and Marvel Rivals all scratched the shooter itch for a bit, but I fell off them as the year went on. Dead by Daylight is always in my rotation, but I barely touched it this year. It is a social game for me and I just wasn’t feeling it when the boys were playing. My almost game of the year would be Split Fiction. It plays in the same space as It Takes Two and pushes multiplayer storytelling in exciting ways. I want more from that studio.
Tuna Town
Chuck
Suikoden HD Remaster
If you have ever played the classic PS1 version of the games, most of the same experiences from the original can be found in the remake. This was a re-release that Konami announced several years ago and I was getting skeptical it would even come out, and then one day there it was. It satisfied all my nostalgic hopes and dreams. As for Suikoden II, I actually hadn’t ever played any other games in the franchise and was delighted to find that it was an excellent game, arguably better than the first. The sequel shored up a ton of the original game's shortcomings while branching out and exploring more deeply the really fun mechanics that worked from the original. If you are a fan of the series or JRPGs in general and don’t have the old hardware (I know the original PS1 Suikoden used to cost a fortune) than you will find these a welcome addition to your gaming library.
Reflections
This was a good gaming year for me. I beat Timespinners, Suikoden I & II Remasters with full character collection and best endings, and Final Fantasy X, which I wrote about on WobbleRocket’s blog.
A Retro Review by Chuck Edens - WobbleRocket Blog
The Cube
Board Games
Drew's Board Game Spotlight: Tabletop Simulator
I have owned Tabletop Simulator for years but only ever used it in small doses. We had an ancient build of Renown on there with old beta art, and that was about it. So I took the time this year to really learn the program and get a full, current version of Renown: The Card Game uploaded and ready to play. It feels great to have the game available anytime. I have grown very comfortable with digital shuffling. We’ve also played a ton of other games on the platform. The group has become fond of Disney’s Villainous, which is now our second most played game on TTS. If you don’t own Tabletop Simulator, grab it during the next Steam sale. Flip the table on your friends and come play a few rounds of Renown with us.
I have owned Tabletop Simulator for years but only ever used it in small doses. We had an ancient build of Renown on there with old beta art, and that was about it. So I took the time this year to really learn the program and get a full, current version of Renown: The Card Game uploaded and ready to play. It feels great to have the game available anytime. I have grown very comfortable with digital shuffling. We’ve also played a ton of other games on the platform. The group has become fond of Disney’s Villainous, which is now our second most played game on TTS. If you don’t own Tabletop Simulator, grab it during the next Steam sale. Flip the table on your friends and come play a few rounds of Renown with us.
Renown on TTS
Drew's Reflections
There were fewer board games in my life this year than I would like to admit. Most of what I played happened in the digital space. The reality of living across the country from friends and family makes physical board game nights rare.
Dominion has stayed in regular rotation ever since the digital release. Same with Lords of Waterdeep. Both are near perfect versions of their physical games and easy to pick up when the group feels like something familiar. I was also introduced to ROOT and Wingspan through Steam. Both were fun, but ROOT won out for me. Battling with cute woodland creatures in a setting that feels like Redwall will always get my attention.
ROOT
TTRPGs
The Blarek Bulletin
Tabletop gaming returned home this year. We are once again deep in Dromaria, and our New Blarek campaign is moving strong. We have stayed mostly in 5e and the Dromaria ruleset. I got to run a section of the campaign that took the group into the monster city of Enkyven, where they faced demons and made a mess of the streets.
Chuck's Reflections
Shadowdark RPG
This Year's Characters
- Chuck
- Lok’Broth. Orc, War Cleric
Deceased, 2024 5e - Jorsh Sheldon. Tortle, College of Lore Bard
2024 5e - Chilly Mac. Bugbear, Polaris Warlock
Dromaria, 2014 5e - Milon Dahlers. Dragonborn, Arcane Archer
2024 5e - Giger. Halfling, Moon Druid
2014/2024 5e - Wali Shore. Triton, Odelian Order Wizard
Current, Dromaria, 2014 5e - Prettyboy Tyrus. Half Orc, Pitfighter
Deceased, Shadowdark - Turp. Kobold, Thief
Shadowdark
Looking Ahead
Reflections
At the end of last year’s article, we put up a list of goals for 2025. As you can see we got further on some of the goals than others, largely because of the unexpected re-emergence of Renown: The Card Game getting finalized. We did pretty damn well for ourselves in year two. Here is where we are at based on the end of year goals from 2024:
- Launch Issue #1 of the Kindred comic. We did it! A successful Kickstarter and the comics are shipped.
- Host D20 Random Questions interviews. We did this as well, inviting several of our creator friends to roll the dice.
- Articles from brilliant minds in the community. We did this with Better Food Next Time, but that is just the first of many future collaborations.
- Win World Anvil’s World of the Year. Nominated against a bunch of stiff competition. We will enter again this year, but will not be campaigning the way we did last year. We were nominated for 5 awards and won 1 though. So it was a wonderful showing either way.
- Weekly From the Village Vaults. We did this up until the collection was completed. We are planning on getting back to vaults soon, exploring iconic TTRPG scenarios.
- Complete the Southern Tritos Dominion. Except for the Justicar's Fortune dungeon, it is completed. Justicar’s is prototyped and first drafted and currently being worked on.
- Release The Red Keep Adventure and Justicar's Fortune. The Red Keep is complete and online, a physical and pdf release is in the works.
- Finalize Return to the Age of Horror and Dromaria: Path of the Ancestors. This was a longshot and we honestly didn't get any further along on these projects besides a few notes here and there. But they aren't going anywhere.
- Publish Dromaria: The Covenant campaign setting. We have tons more editing and art to do before this one is a reality, but it will be a focus of next year as well.
Drew
I did both more and less this year than I expected. Doing this kind of work is rewarding and taxing, as I am sure anyone in the space can tell you. It is a grind that gives little besides personal satisfaction. But there is enough of that to go around. Outside of Stonehome I read less than I wanted to this year and played fewer new board games. Getting a final copy of Renown in hand was exceptionally rewarding though. This year I had more words written than ever in my life. More edited. More published. Sold. Viewed. Read. Played. Turns out if you put things out there and they will be played with. Got to meet amazing folks who have been exceptionally supportive. I also learned how tariffs really work in more detail than I’d like to. I know now more than ever that I want more stuff in Dromaria that isn’t TTRPG. The comic is a great step, and we have always written small bouts of fiction, but I want to see more things that bring the characters to life and explore the real roots of the world. Not just how it is connected to DnD or other RPG systems. Next Year
- I want to be able to talk to those playing. Go to cons. This is a big goal.
- Get more money to be able to buy more art and hire people in the space for more collaborations.
- Fill out one or more portions of the world on the website. We have given such a small portion of what we have in the process of trying to publish in an order that makes sense. I miss writing about the other parts of the world and want to get back to it. The Tritos Dominion has been great to explore, but other areas will really help show our vision.
- An art contest for Dromaria. Not sure what yet, but have ideas.
- Kickstarter for Renown.
- Hold more books in my hand with Stonehome on them. It is really cool.
- Build more community.
Chuck
I played a lot of games this year but only beat one Final Fantasy, and that was X. The Suikodens pretty much dominated my summer. I spent plenty more time in Dead by Daylight but uninstalled Marvel Rivals. Just not my kind of game. I wanted more tabletop games in Dromaria with my wife, and I got to. The campaign is still running strong. I would say I am very happy with my gaming goals progress for the year. I’m going to keep my gaming goals for next year a bit simpler: complete five games in my backlog. If I can accomplish this task I will consider 2026 a video gaming success. For personal tabletop goals, obviously I want more Dromaria games, but I also want to start playing Renown with other people and learn to teach the game. As for exploring new systems, I would like to delve deeper into Pathfinder 2.0 and Daggerheart. Otherwise I'm honestly pretty content in the 5e space we have carved for ourselves. Next Year
- Have a completed book with my name on it. It is actually shipping to me already, but I don’t know if I’ll get it by the end of the year.
- Complete Justicar’s Fortune, finalize The Red Keep and The Covenant, and sell them in pdf and physical versions.
- Stage a successful Kickstarter campaign for Renown.
- Attend a convention as a seller and make one sale.
- Learn at least one other creator’s game at a convention.
- Make more From the Village Vault adventures.
- Even more collaborations with our friends.
Thank You
Currently Working On
- The Red Keep Adventure print version and final edit.
- Dromaria: The Covenant final edits, art, and physical edition.
- Kindred Issue Two.
- Renown: The Card Game Kickstarter.
Entry for WorldEmber 2025
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Dromaria, their respective logos, and all Stonehome Games titles and characters are property of Stonehome Games LLC. in the U.S.A. and other countries.
No part of the material on this website may be used as data for ‘training’ any large language model or as part of any machine learning or neural network architecture.
Credits • Map License • Privacy Policy
Website powered by World Anvil