Hello Reader!

In my last newsletter, I hinted at my latest project. And here it is...

I’ve designed a new board game called Oceanic. It’s a marine-life game that sits somewhere in the space of Wingspan meets Terraforming Mars meets Parks. You play cards representing different animal species and place them into ocean habitats—like the coral reef, the kelp forest, and the abyss—and try to score as many points as possible as you move around the great ocean gyre.

I’ve already run a few playtests, and the feedback has been awesome. Players are fascinated by all the ocean creatures (over 200 different species in the cards) and they're intrigued by the gameplay. It's a game that sticks with you after you play it, making you think, "What could my strategy be next time...?"

In other words, the game has legs. (Or should I say fins?)

As for what comes next, there are two possible paths:

• Pitching Oceanic to publishers (which is safer, but also very much out of my hands), or
• Eventually running a Kickstarter.

Both are possibilities. Nothing is locked in yet.

Now—some of you might be thinking: “Another board game? What about Iron Wilds?”
Totally fair question.

Iron Wilds is still very much alive. It’s still in the playtesting phase, and I fully intend to get it published one way or another. Board games are slow beasts, and Iron Wilds has always been a longer-term project. That hasn’t changed.

Others might be thinking: “Why is a sci-fi/fantasy author making board games at all?”
I ask myself that question too.

A few years ago, I made a dinosaur board game. Then I made Iron Wilds, set in the world of my novels. Now I’ve made Oceanic. Somewhere along the way, I started to realize how closely books and board games are related. Both tell stories. Both pull us off screens. Both ask us to think, imagine, and spend meaningful time with ideas.

Honestly, a bookstore that sells board games alongside novels feels completely natural to me.

What started as something meant to complement my books has slowly grown into something bigger—something I’m still exploring and learning my way through.

And just to be clear: I’m still writing and still plugging away on Chorus in the Storm. Game creation is an expansion to what I'm doing, not a replacement.

Thanks, as always, for reading and for supporting my creative wandering.

Until next time,
Jason

PS - A bunch of authors (myself included) have come together to build a massive giveaway of fantasy and sci-fi ebooks.

With over 120 authors participating, you're bound to find one that catches your interest. Check them—click the image below: