Good Monday everyone!
You know I had an interesting discussion earlier today that reminded me of something I was meaning to discuss with you all at some point earlier but never got around to it.
So I mentioned in an earlier post about how we are mere months away from the two year anniversary of this blog, and extremely briefly touched on the highs and lows of that, but I hardly invested into those points, and honestly I think that based on what happened it is worth talking about.
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Truth be told however, I think this started long before that, going back to June 2012 when I held the latest SquigFest.
I got a liking for running demos of Malifaux, for sharing my love of the game and having others bask on that love.
I realised that despite my fears and concerns, that I should volunteer my time as a Henchman, and from there Dr Loxley's MaliDAZE were born.
Compared to a lot of people the time and effort I invested into being a Wyrd Henchman was pretty minimal, but it was all I could offer.
While there I made some good friends, some of whom I keep in contact with via Facebook, email and Skype, there is also the shop staff as well who were always welcoming and understanding and never shy when it came to stoking my ego over the effort I was making, even when times got quiet and the interest began to dry up.
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But then we entered a new era, one where perhaps Malifaux and my time as a Henchman began to take a back seat, and MaliQuest took centre stage.
It pretty much began with an interview, which I discussed back http://newfairbank.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/maliquest-big-card-unveiling.html. And from this over 300 cards were printed and sleeved, a 3 hour long SkypeQuest began and the foundation of New Fairbank Radio was made as to cover the beta testing of the game.
Things were looking good! Great even!
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It was then we entered a twilight for the blog, as Wyrd went ahead and released v2 of Malifaux, and by changing how a few mechanics worked pulled the wool out from under the feet of MaliQuest.
In this dark time I did wonder if this was an intended bonus for them, but I always knew it was not, that my work on MaliQuest didn't even register on their radar, and I think that was a realisation I didn't want to admit.
I had worked so hard on this game, and with a single sweep felt that it was defunct and moot.
I was hurt and that coloured my interactions from that point on.
Let's not forget to call a chair a chair however. There other situations, transactions and paradigm shifts that I wouldn't support, all of which eventually lead to me handing in my Henchman status and also stepping away from the Malifaux v2 race.
It was then that twilight turned to night...
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It was after my decision not to play Malifaux 2.0 that things started looking really bleak for my hobby and online sanity. With the rest of my gaming community excited for v2, I as left behind. Like the party boat had set sail but because of one reason or another I had missed it.
It was then that things started to take a turn.
It was small to begin with, but later became apparent.
Some people (you know who you are) despite all of this, the paranoid wailing, the bitching and moaning, the mud slinging and doom mongering, they stuck by me, and without even meaning to, their kindness and tolerance pulled me out the other end.
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It was then we reached the dawn of the new world of New Fairbank.
With the lessons learned from a year of work MaliQuest was converted to CRYPTS and as I speak is in closed alpha testing, being built up to a stage where it is nearly ready to be released in the free prototype form.
I've still got those great friends, and now I walk into this brave new world with them. We may not have the unifying game of -Malifaux- to bind us, but instead we have something better, something greater, something that I can't quite put my finger on, but it's there, as real and as solid as the brickwork of my home and the foundations it's built on.
So yes dear readers, it's been one hell of a year, but you know what? I wouldn't have changed a thing!
Stay safe, and I'll see you Cryptside!
- Your friendly neighbourhood Doctor Loxley
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