Hiatus

Apologies for the radio silence!

I've been busy this December, and really since late September, so I haven't had much time to write. Here's what I've been up to:

View from my desk.

I started a new job as a User Experience Researcher with Fidelity Investments in Boston in late September, so I've been busy learnin' and getting up to speed with a myriad of tools and methodologies. I've decided that UserZoom is annoying, and have learned that anything that can go wrong probably will when you're moderating or seconding usability tests. To be honest, being a Dungeon Master/Game Master for Pathfinder games taught me some valuable skills that I've been using in my professional life -- namely dealing with uncertainty (best laid plans and all that), improvising, devising creative solutions for complex problems, and knowing when to help participants and when to let them struggle.

Also since late September I've been involved in a performance called the Boston Christmas Revels. Today is performance 12 of 17. Over the last four days (12/18 - 12/21) we've had seven shows. I'm in the picture below (all the way to the right with the plank and a sweet bonnet.) We've been getting great reviews from the critics, so that's nice.





I've also been working on a board game in my spare time -- whatever and whenever that is -- and have been making decent progress on that. My friends and I have been working pretty steadily on it since February, but we're now starting to involve a graphic designer and potentially an artist starting in January. Here's a picture of a playtest below taken at the Game Makers' Guild in Boston a few months back. The game is a co-op, resource management, survival game set in the post-apocalypse that sets itself apart with its sheer difficulty -- similar to Pandemic, the game hard to win, but the struggle is part of the fun. Hopefully by summer we'll have a print and play version of the game available for the public to play. Right now it's paper prototypes and clip-art. If you're interested in learning more about the game, you can check us out on Facebook or Twitter.

I haven't had time for my other hobbies -- painting, namely, but also D&D -- but I guess that's the sacrifice for having too many other hobbies and obligations. Alas, alack.

I hope all of you are doing well, and that you're having excellent holidays. I'll be back to a regular schedule in 2016 (!!!). If you'd like me to test out any particular games, feel free to ping me on Twitter (@keshiekay). On the docket are potentially:

• Evolution
• The Magic Circle
• Offworld Trading Company
• Roguelands
• Shoppe Keep 
• The Talos Principle
• Fallout 4 

Or if you know any designers who might want some feedback, feel free to send them my way! I love giving feedback to those who are hungry for it.

Thanks again.