Spring Things
I’ve finally figured out my work-life balance
Welcome back to Sebastian Yūe’s Newsletter! It feels like it’s been a whole year already. I’m not one for resolutions, but it is a good time to cultivate new habits. I’m intentionally moving slower compared to this time in 2024, which has been refreshing. I’m making more time for hobbies, games unrelated to work, and offline creative endeavours, all while working on freelance projects that excite me. All things considered, I’m happy.
Hit Point Press
My day job has been keeping me busy! I’m working on a few things behind the scenes, which I can’t wait to share with you when the time is right. For now, here are some I can talk about, starting with this Hero Forge crossover.
Heckna x Hero Forge
Being more involved with the licencing side of things has meant helping to facilitate partnerships with other publishers and platforms. I supported a collaboration with Hero Forge to release Heckna! accessories (scroll to the 3/20/2025 treasure section), which are a ton of fun. The package includes weapons, magic items, and decals from the Heckna! campaign setting.
Now available: The Fablemaker’s Deck of Many Things
The Fablemaker’s Deck of Many Things is quite possibly my favourite of all the Hit Point Press books I’ve written for. This was my first oracle project and I was able to draw inspiration from Yoshi Yoshitani’s gorgeous art. The guidebook contains my favourite mechanic I’ve ever designed for 5e: Jester, which allows you to gain one 1st-level feature from any class you like without having to meet multiclassing requirements (it doesn’t cause you to gain a level). I also wrote the Living Fables: NPCs & Magic Items and Dungeon Card Challenges companion supplements, which were funded as stretch goals.
Now Available: Big Bads and Creatures & Curios
I proofread The Big Book of Big Bads and contributed a number of monsters and magic items to Creatures & Curios. My favourite monsters I designed are the tempramanus, a celestial trickster sprite; the thesis of doom, an essay written on cursed parchment; the zutacovda, a hellish lawyer, and—of course—the driverless carriage, a malicious autonomous vehicle. My favourite of the magic items I designed are the blade of silence, a finesse weapon that silences a target on a hit; the communicuff, a communication item with a 1-hour duration, the instrument of enthrallment and the lyre bow, two items attunable by bards. Bards are my favourite class and I always want more options for them.
New releases
Several projects I worked on are now available. Check them out!
Tangled Blessings: Echoes of Lost Electives (Mothwin Productions)
I wrote seven prompts for the House of Elements in Tangled Blessings: Echoes of Lost Electives, leaning into the themes of cleverness, hunger, and negligence. I’m hoping to hear about someone combining prompt 3, where you spend an intimate evening with another student, with prompt 7, where you find a doppelganger in your place at class. I love magic, I love dark academia, and I love supernatural horror. I hope you enjoy this game and that you are as indulgent with it as you please.
The Hearth Magazine (Prairie Dragon Press)
I contributed a Spire (Rowan, Rook and Decard) scenario called “The Model Minister” for the first issue of The Hearth Magazine. You must take out a fellow Ministry agent who has compromised the secrets of your rebellion, but she has a plan of her own. You can obey orders, or take matters into your own hands. I’m grateful to The Hearth Magazine for picking it up, and I’m currently revising and expanding it for individual republication when the rights revert to me. More to come!
Imaginary Card Games Jam
I created Heart-to-Heart for the Imaginary Cards Jam and I had a lot of fun doing it, free from the pressure to create a whole game. This was the first thing I’ve published to my itch page since 2021, and it was nice to finally share something, however small. Though the game this card is for doesn’t exist, the card itself is playable in any game where you have at least one opponent and you both have cards in your hands at some point. Click through to find the card mechanics (Heart-to-Heart is free to download) and give it a try!
Projects in progress
I’m working on a few projects that are at different stages of completion. I maintain a list of released and upcoming projects on my website, but here are the ones I’m actively working on right now.
GAST (Hatched Games)
I’m an editor for GAST, a collection of horror zines. This is Hatched Games’ first venture, and the BackerKit campaign is in part to establish Hatched Games as a publisher. We’re in the final days of crowdfunding and we’ve unlocked all the bonus content stretch goals. I’m so excited to get my hands on the manuscripts and see what everyone has been working on.
Sunset (Forteller Games)
Sunset is a tabletop roleplaying game where you play a dying character. You explore fragments of memories attempting to unweave lies and earn an audience with Death, bargaining for more time. I’m writing a chapter on creating terror using surrealism, which includes actionable advice, a setting to drop into your game, and a piece of short original fiction. Playtesting is underway and I’ve been scaring players already.
Weird Little Guys (Brieger Creative)
Weird Little Guys is a book of NPCs for use in any TTRPG. Spanning multiple genres, there’s a weird little guy for every situation. I contributed three: Rellath, a shapeshifting alien who is a superfan of the party; Jen Telle, an inventor who sells weapons to superheroes; and Gloria Plaudis, a god forced into human form as a punishment. Weird Little Guys is playtesting now and I’d love to hear about how your games go if you try out any of these quirky characters.
Breakout Con
A friend and I took a road trip to Toronto for Breakout Con; we loaded the car with snacks, put on a playlist, and picked up sushi along the way. The trip was half the fun. I’ve really missed travelling, and I’m excited to do more of it this year.
I tried three new (to me) games, all of which were bangers.
Mothership (Tuesday Knight Games). I loved Mothership so much I played it twice and bought the deluxe box set right after the convention. I felt legitimately stressed (good) while playing and I fully intend to try running it myself at some point.
Draw Steel (MCDM Productions). I would like to play Draw Steel again, this time at a higher level so I can get more of the tactical combat system. I liked that all my attacks automatically hit and I roll to determine damage.
Big Grave Fashion Fantasy (Good Luck Press). This game’s character sheet is my favourite that I’ve ever filled out, with a ton of space to draw your character. I’d love to play a full campaign of Big Grave Fashion Fantasy to see how it handles character evolution and how I’d redraw my character as the game goes on.
I also bought a ton of zines, which I’m still working my way through.
Bloomfall by Sharang Biswas, Yeonsoo Julian Kim, and Joshua Gleason
Together Among the Stars by Takuma Okada (No Road Home)
Galatea and Her Odyssey by S. Kaiya J. (Mirror-Lock)
Band or Horses? by Aaron Lim
Oddfolk by Maxwell Lander
Slender Threads of Freqs and Fortune and Hook, Line & Cyber by Satah (Wicked Glitch Games)
Hidden in the Margins and Deadline by Will Jobst and Seb Pines (Good Luck Press)
Auspex by Seb Pines (Good Luck Press)
This Discord Has Ghosts in It by Adam Vass and Will Jobst (Good Luck Press)
Longsword by Viditya Voleti
Told by Starlight by Ryan Khan
Wands & Laserguns by Christian Bahnweg and Justin Vandermeer
Bad Moon, Good Game and Print it Yourself by Justin Vandermeer (Shouting Crow)
SPLAT 3, SPLAT 4, and Skill Points by Summoning Circle Press.
Kill Every Monster Live Show
Along with Dillin Apelyan, I was a guest on the very first live show for the Kill Every Monster podcast, where the hosts and a guest or two do a deep dive into every monster in the D&D 5e Monster Manual. We got the ettin, a two-headed giant with orcish origins (at least, in the 2014 rules). We had a lively discussion and actual play combat section, and I can’t wait for the episode to release.
COVID safety
Breakout Con 2025 was the first time I attended a convention without a total mask mandate since the start of the pandemic. Despite having a complete mask requirement in previous years, the convention organisers changed the policy to make masks mandatory only in certain areas of the con space. I remain COVID negative, thanks in part to luck, but also thanks to the precautions I take: upgrading to a Flo Mask, getting a personal air purifier, carrying hand sanitiser, only eating outside or in my room, and showering as soon as I am back at the hotel for the night. I’ve been fortunate enough not to catch COVID at all, and I’m working to keep it that way. If you’re attending conventions this year, please wear a mask and take as many precautions as you can. Do it to protect your own health and the health of those around you.
Hobbies
Last year I spent almost all my free time working; though I avoided burnout, I didn’t leave enough room for my own creativity. So, I’ve found some non-tabletop activities I can do just for fun, without the pressure to monetise them or to get to a professional level.
Sushi class
In January, I did a sushi class at my favourite local restaurant. Pictured here are the house special rolls, but I also learned how to make cucumber maki and California rolls. I didn’t prepare the salmon—that was a chef’s demonstration—but I did everything else. I went into it with the single goal of maintaining the structural integrity of the rolls, and to my delight, they did not collapse. Altogether, everything was delicious and provided enough food for two meals.
Portrait drawing bootcamp
I took an eight-week-long portrait drawing bootcamp with artist Sylessae so I could learn to draw my blorbos. I’ve never taken an art class before and I’m glad I took a chance on this one. I’ve learned how to analyse a reference and how to draw various features of the human head. I made noticeable improvements; please admire my progress on Shadowheart from Baldur’s Gate 3.
Baeloth’s Bountiful Bloodbath
I’m learning how to play Magic: The Gathering. I built my first Commander deck in February, and I played my first Commander game in March. I lost, of course, but I enjoyed it. I managed to get my Commander out on turn three and equip him with Commander’s Plate, which would have worked had both my opponents not been playing combo-red decks. I’m aware of the glaring flaws in my strategy—I can name at least three—but I’m committed to the bit and I know I’m going to have fun every time I play this deck.
What’s the bit? Well, my Commander is Baeloth Barrityl, Entertainer, and I’m running him in a mono-red deck with the Popular Entertainer Background. My deck list is available here if you’re curious. I’m actively soliciting advice on improving this build, though I’m not changing his Background because, again, I’m committed to the bit.
I picked Baeloth because I love him as a character. I love that he can goad other creatures and get treasure when they die; most appropriate for someone who once ran a fighting pit in the Underdark.
Home games
My seven-year-long D&D campaign ended, and I’m delighted we got to close it out. I’m now starting Waterdeep: Dragon Heist with the same group of friends, which I’m really excited for. I’m playing a drow cleric (who makes her living as a bard but doesn’t have any bard levels yet).
My Barovian Rhapsody campaign is moving along, we’re about to leave Immol for the Amber Temple. My sorcerer (who is pretending to be a cleric) hasn’t heard from Strahd in a while and is wondering if he’s given up on trying to get her to accept his “immortal gift.”
Roads Uncharted has just entered season 6! Listen to me and my incredible castmates play Genesys RPG in a high fantasy setting. We’re currently in a cult stronghold and our plans are rapidly falling apart. It’s great!
Looking ahead
Aside from revising my Spire scenario, I’m working on a some personal projects for the first time in several years:
toward Eternity, a roguelike hexcrawl about arcane violence and women’s wrongs
Doppelbangers, a duet about clone fucking
An as-yet untitled 5e adventure steeped in intrigue at a royal ball
I’m creating these for myself, so I don’t have a set timeline, but I’m working on them and will share more when I have updates.
Community corner
This year is the first year that I’ve been able to meaningfully support Zine Quest and Pocketopia projects. Here are some I’ve backed that either have late pledges available, or active campaigns, so you can still support them.
Haft Zine! A Persian Mythos Zine by Mim Armand is a mystical RPG Zine inspired by Persian folklore, the Seven Sacred Artifacts of Haft-Seen, and the lost knowledge of the ancients. I backed this for the gorgeous art, the artifact gifts and curses, and the brilliant title.
A Land Once Magic by Viditya Voleti is a conversational post-fantasy worldbuilding game that uses a deck of cards. I want to do more setting creation and I think this game will be great for inspiration.
Retrograde: A Retrofuturist Letterpress RPG by Studio Zosimos is a game of investigation, exploration, and survival in a world powered by blood, ink, and occult printmaking. The zine is going to have letterpress-printed covers and risograph interiors, which is so much my thing.
Wiki Articles Are Wizards [citation needed] by Ben Meadows (Periapt Games) allows you to generate weird, eldritch, dangerous wizards using articles from your favorite wiki. I have been known to frequent the depths of Wikipedia and I’m excited to make unhinged wizards from niche articles.
Against Time and Death by Nick Bate is a duet storytelling game about a forbidden relationship between two elite operatives on opposite sides of a multiversal time war. I only recently read This Is How You Lose the Time War; it is as good as everyone is saying and I’m excited to play a game inspired by it.
I hope you’ve also had a good start to the year. Let me know in the comments what you’ve been up to! And, as always, if you play any of the games I worked on or use anything I designed, I’d love to hear all about your game and your character—I mean it.