Watch Well Games: Issue # 11
Interview with up-and-coming Miskatonic Repository author Aaron Hawke
In This Issue:
The Secret Song of Lake Billings: Interview with Aaron Hawke
Pocket Quest 2024 Progress: Week 4
Welcome to Issue #11. I'm K.J. Convention season is approaching. Need a quick pick for a one-shot that's beginner friendly for all those Call of Cthulhu games you want to run?
Today's newsletter highlights one that fits the bill.
You can learn more about me here if you want.
The Secret Song of Lake Billings: Interview with Aaron Hawke
"The Secret Song of Lake Billings" by Aaron Hawke is available now on DriveThruRPG.
Chaosium has featured it here. Reviews from R'lyeh has reviewed it.
After my interview with Aaron Hawke, I'll give you a list of ten reasons why you should grab a copy of The Secret Song of Lake Billings.
K.J.: What inspired you to create The Secret Song of Lake Billings?
Aaron: I had just recently finished my degree and want to flex the creative muscles a bit. I'd also met a bunch of other creators recently and it really demystified the whole process.
K.J.: For fun - Describe your creation in 10 words or less.
Aaron: Monster of the Week in an 80s Virginia Town.
K.J.: What was the most rewarding part of the creation process when making this?
Aaron: I had two drastically different versions of the same scene occur in playtesting. They were very different from one another tonally but both were equally enjoyable and reminded me why I love the ttrpg medium so much.
K.J.: If you could go back and do it all over again, what would you do differently in the creation process?
Aaron: I would keep up the consistency of work throughout. I had a lull in production that ate away at me every day I didn't work on it and I found it really hard to pick back up again.
K.J.: What advice or encouragement would you give new creators?
Aaron: Start now. You've got this. You will learn all you need along the way. Have fun with it. WHY HAVEN'T YOU STARTED YET, WHAT DID I SAY!
K.J.: Do you have a future creation you can give us any teasers or hints about?
I have another Call of Cthulhu scenario in the works, in the 90s this time. All of the information is there and I've had some excellent art done for it but this one is a lot more free form and I need to figure out the best way to lay that out for Keeper. There may also be a completely different and much more swashbuckley-er(TM) in the works :)
K.J.: How did you discover RPGs?
Aaron: I started listening to Lovecraft inspired actual plays while I was at work in shipyards. It started off as a way to deal with the dull work but now it's a high proportion of what I think about. Definitely my biggest rabbit hole to do.
K.J.: What other hobbies do you enjoy aside from RPGs?
Aaron: I like to keep fit and I do that in a couple of different ways. I also write, draw and make video games. Audio Fiction is huge for me and I enjoy eating good food, so cooking.
K.J.: Favorite RPG item(s)?
Aaron: I have a dice set that is a combination of two sets (they're purple and black), I have a bus drivers hat that is kind of a costume for a long running character I play, I have a crocheted Cthulhu with a cute little Christmas hat, and I have TOO MANY SOURCE BOOKS.
Reasons Why You Should Buy This Scenario:
Quick prep time
Easy to run
Fun (I was in a one-shot that Aaron ran for me and other players.)
Beginner-friendly
Convention-length scenario
Colorful NPCs to portray (because GMs should enjoy the game too!)
Handouts (bonus XP for the accessibility versions)
Clean layout that's easy to navigate
Features a new creature
It's set in the 1980s
Pocket Quest 2024: Week 4
DriveThruRPG's third annual game jam known as Pocket Quest is halfway over. All this great new content from all the participants will drop April 1st.
More content = more gaming!
Last week, I asked, "What do you do when you have too many ideas or projects?"
One of you answered: "Concentrate on one idea/project until my creativity wanes and then switch to another. I have several normally and eventually go full circle back to where I left off. Sometimes it doesn't take long to do a circuit, sometimes you get focused on one so takes a while. I think long term mainly for creative projects and like most folks, ideas are easy to come by, but [it] takes a long time to get to fruition. It's about keeping going and realising its a big job but worth it."
Also last week, I mentioned that I may actually have an idea for a Pocket Quest entry. Now I have two. Assuming playtesting goes smoothly, will I finish even one of these in time?
Both are solo games. Stay tuned for Week 5’s update to see what unfolds.
