So Many Irons in the Fire

I’m scrambling to get lots of stuff done now so that in five months when the holidays start consuming every waking moment of the day and well into the evening. Here’s what’s going on with me:

Undisclosed Freelance Gig: Got a really cool freelance job that I’m under NDA and can’t talk about. It’s a bucket list IP and that’s kinda all I can say.

Blades of Power: Even though the KS is done, the book still incomplete. We’re in the final stages of the layout. Then my layout guy will send me a print proof to physically review. Then it gets my approval. I send it back. Then it goes to press. Then it goes out to backers.

White Box Quarterly #4: This was finished in the past week or two and is uploaded to DTRPG so I can just activate it when its release date comes around.

White Box Annual 2026: This is a print-on-demand only compilation of White Box Quarterly 1-4, with some bonus content. It’s more than just merging a few PDFs and calling it good. You have to build a new document from scratch. It’s uploaded on Lulu and just waiting for activation, but I’ve also got a layout guy getting it spec’d out for DriveThruRPG print on demand - which is more fickle than Lulu. I want to release it late Q4 of 2026, so having it all done now keeps any snags from coming up.

White Box: Dungeon Adventures Special Edition: This combines the original WB: DA with the White Box Dungeon Adventures Bestiary and adds a bunch of new material, but still keeps focus on dungeon play. Wilderness encounters, rumors, dungeon outposts, a new heritage, a new class, one-on-one and solo play rules. I’m going to have a PDF and Softcover released on DriveThru and a super snazy hardcover linen wrap hardcover on Lulu with a dust jacket. Probably a Q1 2026 release, but could come earlier. Lulu copies are done and ready. DTRPG digital is done, but still fighting with their PoD service.

White Box: Heritage Hijinks: This is kinda a micro supplement - just 12 pages, that includes 4 new heritages for White Box: Giant Chicken in a Disguise, Master Cat (from Puss in Boots), the Goodest Boy (you can finally play a doggo!), and the Poppet (which is totally not a muppet. Totally.). It’s whimsical, but written to be playable. The PDF is uploaded on DriveThru and just needs to be activated. The Lulu saddle-stitch print on demand is uploaded and needs to be activated. It’s too short for a DTRPG PoD, and even on Lulu I had to price it at $4.99 for the physical. Even then, I’ll be making less than a dollar a copy on that.

Torch & Blade: This one has been long time coming. Based on and expanding on Maze Rats by Ben Milton - this is my first attempt at a game that is both group and solo play. It has strong elements of resource management, random PC generation, and procedural adventure creation. Also, being based on Maze Rats, it’s super simple. It’s very OSR, but not White Box in any way, shape, or form - so I’m curious to see how it does on the market. It’s uploaded and ready to launch in softcover on Lulu, the PDF is ready to go on DriveThru, and I’ve got someone laying it out for softcover PoD on DriveThru. Release date unknown, but Q4 2026 or Q1 2027 is likely.

The Wanderer’s Tale Storybook Roleplaying: Based on Sword & Backpack, this expands that rules set just a tiny bit and gives it a distinctly fairy tale vibe reminiscent of The Hobbit and similar light-hearted travel tales. Written for me more than anyone else, I don’t expect it to sell well since my audience tends to be more grim and gritty in their tastes. Still - I love it. It’s got the PDF ready to go on DriveThru and the SC print on demand ready to go on Lulu. Still getting the layout finalized for the DTRPG softcover. No idea when I’ll actually release it.

That’s not to mention books that are completely or almost completely drafted, but haven’t been formatted for publication (digital or physical): The Road Home, Hyperstar!, Chivalric Romance, The Hero’s Journey 3e, White Box Quarterly #5, and White Box: Undreamed Of.

Anyway, that’s the state of Barrel Rider Games at the moment. Now, back to it.