As I sit here just before Christmas, 2025, I can't help but reflect upon an interesting (to say the least) 2025. One aspect of my reflection is focused on the TTRPGs I encountered this past year. I got to play quite a few games, some for the very first time (e.g., Ars Magica at GaryCon) and I ran a solid variety as well. But back in January I set myself the goal to really focus in on 1-2 systems. I might dabble in short stints with other games and definitely read many, but I wanted to drill down on just a very small selection to bring to the table consistently to truly understand most every aspect of the games and achieve some level of "mastery" with them. A goal like this is very difficult for me since I enjoy a huge variety of RPGs, which has been both a blessing and a curse ever since I discovered the hobby 35+ years ago.
Looking back, I can proudly say that I achieved my stated goal and focused mainly on 2 game systems and all the varying aspects, writings, and rule books pertaining to them: Castles & Crusades and OD&D.
I loved every minute I got to spend with these two systems and the plethora of supporting materials, writings, and other content pertaining to them. I am running weekly campaigns with them, designing classes for them, and have now launched a project (Heirs of Argax) inspired by one of them (OD&D).
I have found that truly committing to a very focused set of systems allowed me to see all the flaws as well. And every system has flaws. But the few that are there with both C&C and OD&D are so few to mention that it's not worth my time in this post. The great thing about both of these systems is that they clearly share the same DNA (C&C was essentially born out of OD&D) but they are still uniquely different enough as to keep me engaged for countless hours every week.
This "singularity" of focus certainly expanded my RPG library. I have added a number of Castles & Crusades products to the shelves with much more to come following their great BackerKit campaigns this year for Castle Zagyg and the Adventurers Backpack. For OD&D I added some classic items such as the Monster & Treasure Assortment booklet by TSR and the Ready Ref Sheets by Judges Guild. I also ventured further down the OD&D OSR path by adding all of the new Swords & Wizardry expansions, Delving Deeper, and a personal favorite in Seven Voyages of Zylarthen. This early-D&D bug even got me to get Empire of the Petal Throne, which has been a joy to dive into this year.
2025 has thus been a truly fantastic and deeply enjoyable RPG year for me. Both Castles & Crusades and Original Dungeons & Dragons can provide me with more game joy than I probably have years left in me (which will hopefully be another 40+).
This past year, after two years of playtesting, saw me finalize book 1 of my OSR game, Falenburg (read about it here). I wanted to get the Tome of Adventure done by the end of the year and actually got it completed earlier in the fall. I'm quite proud of what I've designed there and can't wait to share more about it with the community in the near future.
So what does that leave for 2026?
Looking ahead to 2026 I can safely say that I will not stop running my C&C or OD&D/Swords & Wizardry campaigns. Nor will I stop adding more to my library for these systems. That being said, I will expand beyond the singularity of sorts from 2025. I will maintain a focus and plan on only bringing another 1-2 more games to the table (a key distinction here). My plans are to not add another D&Dish system to the mix in 2026, but rather go with "skill based" systems that eschew the notion of classes and levels.
In the beginning of the year I plan on launching a campaign of HarnMaster. This campaign will either fall into the rotation of my current weekly online group (so it will then alternate between C&C and HarnMaster) or I will try to build a new online group that I will need to recruit from strangers online (an adventure unto itself).
In the second half of the year, I will venture beyond the realms of fantasy and plan to start a campaign using Classic Traveller. I will take the next months to really prepare for a campaign and, most importantly, become comfortable with CT.
This isn't all I have planned for 2026. My biggest goal for 2026 is to actually begin running solo RPG campaigns, something I've dabbled with but never fully committed to in the past. Many people I know truly enjoy solo campaigns and do it for a variety of reasons. My reasons vary greatly. First and foremost, I want to do it to decompress from the invariable stresses of the world and away from the busy tech that consumes our lives. I also see it as a tool for me to get better as a GM. It will help me learn new systems and expand my worldbuilding.
I haven't decided on which systems I want to use for my solo gaming, but will probably use quite a few until I find the one that suits me the most. There will be short-lived ones that will be purely used as teaching sessions for "new-to-me systems." My planned lineup will range from "new-to-me" to "I just really want to play this" type systems. These will probably include Classic Traveller, Twilight:2000, RuneQuest 2e, Rolemaster 2e, Fading Suns, HarnMaster, and Classic Pendragon (once the Chaosium Kickstarter is delivered).
I plan on also running a solo campaign with OD&D/Swords & Wizardry using my Heirs of Argax - Fantasy Adventure Campaign world. The goal here being to expand the worldbuilding, game more in this setting and to share it amongst the community. In fact, I plan on sharing my solo RPG experiences with all systems I will try out in 2026. Who knows...some might even stick for a long term campaign. I am keeping an open and flexible mind when it comes to this 2026 experiment. I will be sharing my solo campaigns on my Substack newsletter (free to subscribe here). The first sessions of my solo Heirs of Argax campaign will be out very soon.
The final goal for 2026 is to complete my OSR game of Falenburg and get it ready for publishing. After completing book 1 in 2025, I will tackle finalizing the more daunting book 2, the Tome of Judgement. It's almost half written, but the referee advice & tools section and the setting gazetteer will occupy much of my time.
All in all I can't complain about 2025. I am happy that my RPG resolution for the year was a success and it has motivated me to press to more success in gaming in 2026.
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