After a year of intense transitions and necessary professional shifts in 2025, I am embracing the Fire Horse energy by radically redefining where I invest my time and creative passion. This year is dedicated to intentional living, focused creation, and prioritizing the activities that fuel my mental health.
Do Less
The first and most critical goal is to do less, and to do it decisively. I have formally stepped away from my long-held leadership responsibilities, including my eight years as the EN World Columnist Managing Editor, seven years as Chair of the Committee for the Advancement of Role-Playing Games, and eleven years of dedicated service in various leadership roles within Scouting America. My new role in my day job as a Director leading a global team requires my full focus, and attempting to manage all those other roles was spreading me too thin. Shedding this heavy saddle gives me more time to focus on gaming, and I’m going to be doing a lot of it in 2026. Speaking of which…
Do More
With the reclaimed time, I am dedicating my time to something I’ve learned is critical to my mental health: playing Dungeons & Dragons weekly and in-person. I have discovered that this sustained, face-to-face social activity is a non-negotiable requirement for my well-being. It is terrifying to jump into a game with strangers, but I’ve forged an exciting partnership with my local library to run sessions in a neutral space using a formal registration system. This isn’t just about gaming; it’s about actively building new players and fostering community. I will be sharing the journey of this local outreach—and the inevitable chaos of managing new players—throughout 2026.
Update to D&D 2024
While some players may seem largely unconcerned about the 2014 and 2024 edition differences of Dungeons & Dragons, DMs—who require mechanical consistency—have definitely noticed the difference. My commitment for 2026 is to continue the multi-year process of revising my published products. This goes far beyond simple rules updates; every revision will include better art sourced from real artists, rigorous editing, and complete updates to the 2024 rules system. Updating all these products is no small task, but ensuring my content meets the latest standards is essential to keep anything I produce relevant for future gamers.
Create Print-Ready Products
The shift back to in-person gaming has created a wonderful new goal: I want to arrive at my library sessions with hardcover, print-on-demand (POD) copies of the books I’ve written. This requires finally conquering layout software and creating print-ready versions of my core rules. This is a considerable technical challenge—one I’ve delayed for years—but the desire for a tangible, professional product on the table is the motivation I need to achieve this goal in 2026.
Go to Cons Again
The Fire Horse needs to run! I am planning on returning to the physical gaming community by attending Gen Con this year, and hopefully other conventions. It’s time to step away from the keyboard and meet people in-person again. This goal is about reconnecting with the gaming industry, meeting fellow creators, and experiencing the energy of the community that inspired me back when I used to see people in-person!
The Year of the Fire Horse demands independence, energy, and decisive action. For me, 2026 is about radical re-prioritization. By deliberately doing less where I was spread thin, I hope I can focus on things that matter most: my professional career, my gaming, and my creative work. This shift is terrifying, exhilarating, and absolutely necessary. I’m charging forward into the flames one way or the other. I hope you find the strength to do the same!
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