Reading Challenge 2025

So. Apparently I've had an account here for years, but have never actually used the site. I've had great fun listening to the podcasts, and more recently watching some of the shorter youtube videos.

I honestly don't remember what caused me to finally log in this week (or rather, try to register an account, get upset that someone stole my preferred username, then think maybe I already have an account, and then be pleasantly surprised that I do, and then log in), but the first thing I saw when I did log in was the reading challenge and the summer camp.

As of this writing, I have not yet participated in the summer camp, but maybe I'll still manage to find both the inspiration and the drive to do so. For now I am enjoying the submissions I've read so far. And learning, too. So far my favorite point that I picked up is a reminder that things can trend in different directions over time. It doesn't always have to be a general trend of progress and discovering better ways to do things; just like in real life, sometimes old solutions will become relevant again (and not just "old" as in "invented by the super-advanced precursor civilization that disappears eons ago").

As for my goals for the coming 6 months, let's see. Let's keep it realistic.

The goal is to take one small, but firm step forward. Could be more than one. But one is the goal.

"Forward" in this case means "in a determined direction". I have a ton of random tidbits written in my "Worldbuilding" Notion page, and they are all over the place. Some are completely isolated, some are vaguely connected, none are organized.

"Small" because whenever I think about actually building a world, it just feels daunting. Plus since my aim is to create one for a game, there is the two-headed risk factor brought by player agency: "what if they go in a direction I never thought about and didn't prepare for" and "what if they never decide to go see the stuff I did prepare". So I will take the common wisdom of "start small".

"Firm" because there needs to be an actual quantifiable goal.

Putting all of the above together, my goal is to review all my random tidbits, and use them to create one adventure outline, with one reasonably detailed location (the quest hub, I guess), some basic points of interest around it, and some broad strokes for a "bigger picture" type of content.