I’m going to take a brief break from talking about the second edition of Thousand Suns to reflect a bit on this newsletter and where it’s headed.

I launched Grognardia Games Direct last July with fairly modest ambitions. My goal was simply to create a space where I could write about my publishing projects, something a little more focused than the broader RPG topics I usually cover on Grognardia. There have certainly been a few ups and downs along the way, but, on the whole, I’d call the experiment a success. At the very least, it’s given me a place to think out loud about ideas that don’t quite fit elsewhere and that alone has proven valuable.

Recently, though, something happened that made me stop and take stock: the newsletter passed 1,000 subscribers. It’s a nice, round number, to be sure, but more than that, it feels like a meaningful milestone. Even before reaching it, I’d noticed that many of my posts here were being read by more people than those on Grognardia — assuming, of course, that Google’s statistics are even remotely reliable. The older blog is awash in “visitors” that are almost certainly bots and its comment section requires constant pruning. The Internet has changed a great deal since 2008 and not always in ways that favor traditional blogging.

By contrast, Substack has been a genuine pleasure. While I don’t receive significantly more comments here, I have a much clearer sense of who my readers are and what they enjoy. Just as importantly, the platform itself is far more capable and user-friendly. I’m no longer wrestling with Blogger’s antiquated interface or its lack of features. I’ve also noticed that my posts here tend to run longer and I suspect that’s no coincidence. Writing on Substack feels inviting in a way that Blogger increasingly does not.

To be clear, this is not an announcement that I’m shutting down Grognardia — at least, not at present. However, I would be less than honest if I didn’t admit that the question has been on my mind more frequently of late. The kind of blogging I began nearly two decades ago may no longer be viable in quite the same way. If nothing else, it may require rethinking my approach and expectations. I still enjoy it, certainly, but there are moments when it feels more like an obligation than a pleasure, something I rarely feel when writing here.

For now, I’m content to let things develop naturally. What’s striking to me is that, in less than a year and with relatively little deliberate effort, this newsletter has grown into something both substantial and creatively energizing. More importantly, it’s helping me do exactly what I set out to do: write more consistently and make real progress on long-gestating publishing projects. That matters a great deal to me and I’m genuinely pleased with the headway I’ve made.

So, thank you. Whether you’ve been here since the beginning or subscribed more recently, I appreciate your interest and your attention. It’s encouraging in ways that are difficult to overstate. If you haven’t yet subscribed, I’d encourage you to consider doing so. I have a feeling that, in the weeks and months ahead, there’s going to be quite a bit happening here and I’m very much looking forward to sharing it with you.