[this was originally a Patreon post, I've decided to cross-post it here]



WOW THAT SURE TOOK A LONG TIME DIDNT IT

So, why? Let's examine why March turned into April, into June, into September, and then finally November 1st 2021 for the full release of Boy Problems Side-B. What went wrong? What went right? What comes next?

WHAT WENT WRONG

Let's start with the obvious. I had originally planned to release Side-B in mid-March when I originally ran the crowdsourced/itchfunding campaign. At the time, I was unemployed! I thought I had alllll the time in the world to do this project. I even picked up two extra writers and three additional artists to help take some workload off of me. It was originally planned to be a fun bonus to expand on the world of Boy Problems. It was supposed to be a quick turnaround before moving on to bigger projects.

Well, hindsight is 20/20. So all of that was a fucking lie.

Eventually, the project would balloon to 24 (!) pages (more than the original game), and I might have vastly underestimated the scope of the project. I also forgot about the whole fact that despite hiring writers & artists, I (me, and only me) still had to do a ton of writing myself *and* do the whole layout and design. In January of 2021, I also got a job! Yay! It is a creatively fulfilling job that also takes almost all of my creative energy and time so that when I "clock out" for the day, all I want to do is eat food and maybe press some buttons in a fairly laid-back video game. It became increasingly hard to find the right creative time to work on the project.

So, so far I: underestimated my workload, overscoped, and didn't balance my own creative energies and output properly. FUN. (Also, typical game development right???) I *also* never thought that I would get tired of working on Boy Problems, as both an idea and an IP. Well, that was also a lie I told myself.

I eventually hit a point where I just wanted to move past the project, and start something new. BUT I had taken pre-orders and hired people to help me so I had to finish this first. That meant more pressure than I would have liked on one project. I longed for the days where I could just work on something else, anything else. I would begin on a few other projects, but Side-B loomed behind me... waiting. Calling me. Taunting me. The project also took some... detours.

With gaps between work sessions, I often would come back to my work unhappy and unsatisfied with what I had previously done. I am a good designer and writer, but I am also a perfectionist! So... Boy Problems 4.0. (Also that variant cover above because I was *this* close to re-doing Side-B in a collage/art-pop/bedroom-pop style.

When I started on Side-B, I went back to Boy Problems and realized that despite a previous overhaul... it needed work. Another entire visual overhaul. So, March-May became 4.0. And Nocturne of Artifice (which was a fun small bonus to kind of say sorry for how long Side-B was taking). Re-doing Boy Problems again was necessary but also soul-draining. I think the game is now the strongest spot it has ever been in, but I also think that any enthusiasm and energy I had for working this setting was sucked up by 4.0. It took a long time to recharge these batteries.

Side-B became this perfect storm of: pressure from external sources, weariness for the Boy Problems world, lack of energy from a day job, perfectionist tendencies, and everything else I also summarized above. So... what went right?

WHAT WENT RIGHT

This is going to be a much shorter section, but some of the bad stuff was also good! I am glad I got additional contributors as the pros of this vastly outweighed the cons. They brought new energy, new ideas, and new looks into this world I had created. It was enriched by their presence and I would not have changed that.

I am glad I did itchfunding! itch.io is a wonderful platform that I got a ton of support on, and it ultimately gave me the funding required to hire everyone. In the future, I would just... scope better. And hire more help. I also feel much better about the state of Boy Problems. There are still some small things that I need to do for the games asap, but it is also in a solid place to maybe hand the reins off a bit. Open the whole thing up. Some day it will have its own custom ruleset, and a ton more of worldbuilding because I want to see that cyberpop world realized. But for now, it is in a good place.

WHAT COMES NEXT

A lesson I am taking from this whole thing is that I need be a better producer and project manager for myself. Or just hire someone to do it. Some of these problems were preventable with more preparations. Other designers: LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES It also feels a bit... early? For this postmortem. I am curious how the game will do sales-wise, and in press coverage compared to my original releases. This is my first "paid" expansion to any of my games. It also is technically system agnostic so... that might help?

There are some obvious names for what comes next project-wise: Black Heart 2.0, an expansion to In Case of an Emergency, Seven Rings, Warm Blood. So, what's up this these? Let's take a look.

BLACK HEART 2.0: The writing for this is done! I think. It has been a long time since I checked but I think it is. Work has begun on the new layouts and art. Black Heart is a project I am still very proud of, but it needs a ton of work to get into a place where I'll be fully happy with it. I still plan to do this overhaul but this getting shelved for now to focus on a brand new original title next.

IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY EXPANSION: I have started to draft the early ideas for a small (actually small this time) expansion for ICOAE. It'll be a Work From Home (WFH) solo-journaling expansion that is inspired by Alan Wake. This is also getting shelved... for now.

SEVEN RINGS: This is still in active development! I am currently running a Dungeons & Dragons 5E campaign using this as a setting. So, as the campaign continues I am slowly expanding this world. This will end up not being a "game", but a fully-realized systems-agnostic world and setting that can be used and adapted for a variety of games.

WARM BLOOD: The elusive final chapter of the Carly Rae Jepsen TTRPG trilogy. This is still planned but also still in the early phases. It is also still a murder mystery game inspired by Disco Elysium, and will change a group of players with controlling a single detective as aspects of his personality.

So, you might be asking yourself... if you aren't working on these projects, what does come next? I have no idea! Which is exciting! I am taking a chance to step back and examine the next steps for Boy Problems Tabletop Productions, and our 2022 plan.

It'll be smaller, more experimental projects to start. Maybe an adventure, or module, or setting for an existing TTRPG (Wanderhome???). It will involve an entire rebrand of the company for sure. The current branding was quickly whipped up when this whole thing first started, and it is definitely gonna go.

I might also step back and look into publishing a title or two under our umbrella. I'd assist with layouts, graphic design, marketing, and editing while collaborating with other creators. My DMs are open! Whatever comes next... I'll keep y'all posted. For now, enjoy Side-B, and I'll see you soon.

Cheers,
Colin