Today is the one-year anniversary of me living in London. From selling our house in Atlanta to living in an AirBnb in the US to a hotel in central London to an AirBnb slightly down the road from the hotel to a flat in Hackney Wick to (hopefully) a home in north London in a few months. Yes, we’re in the process of buying a home! We’ve put in an offer, and the sellers have accepted it, but in England nothing is final until contracts are exchanged, and that’s the last thing to happen, so here’s hoping the deal stays together until we’re done.
I know I talked about this a bit last newsletter, but it feels a little more real to me now…particularly as I’m now having to deal with both US and UK taxes. Since I am a dual citizen (and my family are all still just US citizens), we still have to file US taxes even though we no longer live in the US. Similarly, I could no longer renew my LLC registration for Pugsteady in Georgia. Don’t worry, Pugsteady isn’t going anywhere—I’m just working as a sole trader doing business as “Pugsteady UK” or “PUK” for short. (I wish I could say I planned that.)
Last year I planned to work mainly on acquiring European clients for work, and that has failed more or less completely. I did exactly two things for pay for British clients. However, in retrospect I really should have planned 2023 to be a settling-in year where I figure out how my business will work in the UK, and on that front I’ve had a lot of success.
So this year, my main focus is on reassessing my business. I used my business budget to get the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook 2024 which publishes the latest markets and UK-specific advice for freelancers. I’m also planning out what conventions I’m planning to attend this year, to find the right balance of networking opportunities, market research, and enjoyment for myself. At the moment, I’m probably going to do UK Games Expo again, but beyond that I’m still deciding.
Speaking of my business, that leads to my longer-than-usual news segment, so let’s dive into that!
News Roundup
First off, I’ve just signed the contract to continue on as the Executive Producer for Onyx Path Publishing! I don’t talk about the business side of this much, but I’m actually a full-time freelancer with OPP, rather than a paid employee, and this is the third time I’ve renewed that contract. To be blunt, having a steady check from Onyx Path has saved my ass and my business lots of times, and being freelance has made the international transition a lot easier than it would have if I were a full employee. Plus, I still have flexibility to work with other clients should I choose. I love everyone at Onyx Path, and I’m excited to help put out even more stuff with them!
Next, in Realms of Pugmire news, there’s a new crowdfunding campaign coming soon, and it’s not Threats and Curs (which is still coming out, but we’re probably not going to crowdfund that one). I haven’t talked much about this book, because I wanted to make sure the timing was right and I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up, but the next crowdfunding campaign will be Curious Cats of Mau! Yes, it’s a huge sourcebook for cat characters, which not only updates all the material from Monarchies of Mau, but adds loads more. It’s not a self-contained game, so you’ll need the Realms of Pugmire core rulebook, but this means we had a lot more room for new material. We’re looking at a mid-February release date, so as soon as it goes live I’ll do a rare extra newsletter to tell you all about it!
Speaking of Pugmire news, I have launched a Patreon! This is something I’ve been mulling over for a while, honestly. I love writing stories for Realms of Pugmire, but most of the avenues I’ve used to scratch that itch haven’t hit the scale they need to be truly profitable. So I’m testing out selling it directly to the people who want it. This is an experiment for me, so right now it’s only got one tier and I only charge once I have something to give everyone, but as I settle in and decide it’s something I want to do more of, it can expand to include more behind-the-scenes stuff, tiny bits of RPG support, or maybe live-streamed playtests. Still kicking around ideas. But if you’ve ever wondered if there’s a way to just give me money for art things, this is now the best way to do that! Find out more at patreon.com/Pugsteady!
Finally, as sad as it is for me, it’s important to mention that early last month, Jennell Jaquays passed away after a long illness. Jennell was not only a titan of both the video game and tabletop RPG industries, but she was also a friend that helped me get through some struggles and doubts I had while working at CCP North America. This happened a week or so after finding out the work of another friend who passed away was completed posthumously, so I’m hoping some of Jennell’s final work will similarly be finished as a fitting tribute to her work and contributions.
My Media
The short version is “Yes, I’m reading the new Transformers comic.” But I need you to understand how angry this makes me.
I was a fan of the original Marvel comic, way back in the 1980s. I never had a subscription, so I had holes in my collection, but I know I obsessively reread large chunks of the first 30 or so issues. I didn’t start seriously reading any Transformers comics until IDW got the license, and more specifically when More Than Meets the Eye started in 2012. By that point I was using Comixology to buy every single issue, as well as the sister title Robots in Disguise, and even various spin-offs. I really really loved the IDW continuity, and when they rebooted the title in 2018, I tried it for a while but quickly stopped reading it (although, admittedly, the pandemic was a big part of the reason why I stopped collecting everything but Fantastic Four). So when I heard that Robert Kirkman’s company got the license, I really didn’t want to read it. Another endless reboot of the original cartoon, blah blah blah. I loved the IDW ones, and I was bitter a new team were working on it. Yes, once in a while I can be that entitled fanboy.
A few months ago, I was out with my roommate David, and we stumbled across Gosh! Comics, which is an amazing shop. And sure enough, they had one copy left of Transformers #1. So I got it, and fucking hell I loved it. Then Gosh! had a sale in January, so I went back to pick up not only some issues of the 80s comic that were printed in the UK, but the next few issues of Skybound Transformers. Just to see if it was a fluke.
And the series is really really good, and I’m mad at how good it is.
The art is dynamic. The characters are very different from the IDW versions, but still authentic to their core characterizations. The story is surprisingly dark and gritty without forgetting it’s a comic about toys. Oh, and Optimus Prime suplexes a Decepticon.
I’ve set up a subscription for it now (along with the IDW Star Trek ongoing, which is also amazing). Yes, it’s me gushing about a Transformers thing, but it’s actually quite a good Transformers thing. And, although it is part of the ongoing “Energon Universe” line of comics, the writer has said they’ll try to keep the comics relatively self-contained. As I’m not planning to buy the others, we’ll see how that holds up.
That’s all for me this month. See you in March!
(Did I mention that Optimus Prime suplexes a Decepticon?)