This was a difficult post to write. Feel free to skip to the Looking to 2026 section if you are not interested in a more personal bit of writing.

Content warning: Death in the family.

Looking to 2026

I still feel like I am getting my feet under me, and that’s ok. But I am looking forward to some upcoming projects that have been “waiting for me”:

More Crownfell!

I have ideas for two whole expansions already. The first one, Grimoire, is going to be going into playtesting soon. Please join my Discord server if you’re interested in participating. Grimoire will include 12 Rite cards that are “bonus actions” that you can take instead of taking a normal turn. Each player will have two, and there will be two on the table. When you perform a Rite, you place it on the table and take one of the cards you didn’t play back into your hand. In this way, cards you play become available for your opponent to pick up on a later turn.

I think it will add a fun layer to the game, without adding much complexity at all.

In Dreams: 2E

Excited to have a version of this game without any genAI art, Jamie and I have been working on a text-only version of In Dreams. We have really been enjoying using words to describe each “setting” card, instead of pictures; they are able to be evocative in a whole different way from visual art.

ExoShip Expansions

Kevin Sylves, designer of ExoShip, has several ideas for six-card expansions. We are going to start playtesting them soon, and figure out which three we can combine into a collection for release. We’ve got everything from smuggling a newly-discovered power source, to androids, to cryogenic freezing of founders… lots more ExoShip goodness coming your way.

Queen’s Regiment

An entry for the Deck Hand Games design contest, Queen’s Regiment is a 1-2 player game played with a standard poker deck + 18 custom cards. I challenged myself to do a “lane battler” within the confines of the restrictions of the contest, and came out with something that is… a bit more than that! It has both solo and co-op modes, and just needs a bit more development time before I can call it ready for prime time.

World’s Edge

I’ve got some work to do here; I have a publisher who is interested in publishing World’s Edge as a tile-laying game instead of a roll-and-write. This is very exciting.

run/hack duel

I have a mental concept for a 2-player “cards and dice only” version of run/hack. I’m looking forward to making a prototype and getting this on the table. Here’s an old concept I threw together… this idea is not new, I just haven’t been able to get to it. YET.

That’s all for now

This is a very ambitious list. Will I get to it all…? Will new things come up…? Who knows. But I’m looking forward to making more games in the new year. Thanks for joining me for the ride.

Keep playing,
-Mike