As I fall inevitably into the back end of the last day of 2024, there is a sense of wonder and gratitude arising from my RPG hobby that needs expressing. Thanks to all the players, GMs, and friends who have shared in my journey through this year – whether as new acquaintances or old.

The largest achievement for me in 2024 has been the formation and sustenance of a face-to-face gaming group. The coming together of strangers at the very tail of 2023 flourished into a consistent five player RPG group through most of 2024. Although players move on, the group has endured. I am deeply thankful!

Perhaps the larger surprise has been the greater amount of time spent enjoying the GURPS system. This was another pleasant surprise from 2024 because I had all but convinced myself that no-one else would play GURPS. Dungeon Fantasy RPG formed the bulk of that play focused, as it was, on the world of Fellmyr.

Alongside the face-to-face play, I am also deeply grateful for those players who have gathered – at various times and for differing reasons – to play online. I’ve honed my preferences away from VTT usage towards the simpler voice and video call, even though I do enjoy the odd battle map for tactical play.

The consistency of bi-weekly online meetups, connecting through the RPR Discord and largely driven by one particular player, has been a strong positive. Even when I wasn’t up for play, meeting consistently with those friends who enjoy conversation around gaming has helped keep me sane and part of a larger community.

The past six months, from June 2024, have also marked a shift to dialling back my podcasting and blogging commitments. On the verge of trying to turn my hobby into a second full-time job, timely words from a couple of listeners pulled me back from the brink of burn-out (again). I’m grateful for those who helped me continue at a slower pace.

I believe that I have come closer than ever to re-discovering the heart of my RPG hobby in 2024. Through the commission of art from human artists, delving into exactly the kind of classic fantasy game I believed I was done with, and slowly immersing myself into the Generic Universal Role-Playing System that I love, this has been a positive year.

Thank you to my wife who is ever patient and supportive! I’ve lost count of the number of times she has reminded me that I might be anxious before the session but I almost always come away expressing how much enjoyment I experienced. She helped me put my books on shelves and clear out much of the clutter.

Here’s hoping that 2025 continues the positive trend. May this be the year when I take the training wheels off my GURPS play, give myself permission to expand the games I’ve created so far, and most of all give myself the opportunity to deepen friendships made through this fantastic RPG hobby.

Game on!