I've been writing down the deeds and misdeeds of the crew, denizens, inmates, and assorted adventurers that populate the Shifting Horizon Universe for quite a while now. Back in '22, I caught the Coronavirus, and while the experience was only mildly irritating, I ended up with long covid, which dropped my stamina to new lows. At that time, I was working on some notes for my current campaign:
This may be the last adventure in the Shifting Horizon Universe; I have maybe a couple more, but I think the well is dry. Dunno what I'll do next...
I was exhausted, and while I had plenty of campaigns I'd designed in other universes, I just couldn't think of any way to continue in the SHU. From the original Shifting Horizon, to the time-travel shenanigans of the Tempus Frigate, to the modern East Texas University, I thought I'd done it all. I wrote that there was "Maybe another adventure in the 1880s, and I could probably have one or two of what happens after [this campaign]," but I was basically just out of ideas.
In that time, I'd also stopped working on my house, and was only barely clinging to my old hobbies. But, given time and the grace of God, I recovered. It was slow, and I'm still not truly 100%, but I'm not staring blankly at a screen unable to invent new ideas any more.
In fact, as of this post, I have three ready campaigns:
- After the End (a post-apocalyptic Fallout-esque campaign)
- Beyond (a sci-fi mega-dungeon)
- Library 14 (a modern adventure along the lines of The Librarians and Warehouse 13)
As well as two campaigns I'm still working on:
- Devil's Sifter (a Mad Max and Waterworld inspired adventure)
- Generations (loosely based on Sid Meyer's Alpha Centauri)
It's been a long road, but I feel like I can finally see the whole story again. I've got new tools, new ideas, and the energy to stay up late working out plot points, NPCs, and nefarious plots. Anyone who knows me knows that I love to plan, and that my wheels-within-wheels approach generates a lot of story that doesn't fit in a campaign - in short, because these campaigns are designed to plan for every eventuality, they take a lot of work. I'm overjoyed that I now have enough energy to create these campaigns, and I'm infinitely grateful for all the players who have made my hobby a part of their lives.
And, for an added note, the proto-campaign that started it all began 1 day and 11 years ago: Feb. 4th, 2014. That campaign petered out, but it lead to a reimagining of the Shifting Horizon story, and eventually to everything you see here today!
Here's to the next decade-and-a-bit, may it be even more zany and fun than the last!
