This month includes both my birthday and the beginning of the new year, so I’ve taken the opportunity to look back as well as look forward a bit. Of course, some of my new year reflections and ruminations are tied pretty closely to WARMACHINE, HORDES, and Privateer Press.
The biggest realization during my introspection was this year marks a major personal milestone. Before the end of 2013, I will have as long a tenure at Privateer Press as I had as a player of WARMACHINE before coming to Privateer! Honestly, though, it still doesn’t feel that way. I often think of myself as that gamer in St. Louis playing casual games, league games, or tournament games numerous times a week; traveling to more distant events and conventions to get my fix; and acting as a Press Ganger, playtest group lead, and No Quarter contributor.
It took much longer than one might think for me to stop seeing myself as “the new guy” when it comes to full-time employment at Privateer Press. Despite being around in a freelance capacity since No Quarter #4 and as a playtester for every single HORDES book (and almost every WARMACHINE book), it was initially a bit daunting to rub elbows with the artists, sculptors, and game developers whose work I’d appreciated for years.
Yet somewhere along the way, when I looked around the office, I realized I no longer counted as one of the “new faces” and that folks much newer than me were Privateer Press veterans themselves. I couldn’t really claim to be some WARMACHINE tournament circuit guy any more; I had actually become one of the driving forces behind the games I love.
That’s enough looking back. What about looking forward?
To start with, I think 2013 is going to kick some serious ass. I’m excited about all sorts of new shiny, and I’m really looking forward to seeing players’ reactions to the time, effort, and passion I put into my work throughout 2012.
Yet, as I look forward, I also can’t help but notice the piles and piles of new work I’ll need to accomplish before I can approach 2014 with the same excitement. There are new WARMACHINE and HORDES projects to complete, entirely new games to create, and new ways to explore existing game properties.
Anyway, I hope you’re also looking forward to what Privateer Press has to offer in 2013. It’s bound to be quite a year.
Getting Old,
-DC