The greatest challenge any writer can face is to continue writing when they no longer have passion for the subject matter. Writing when you feel passionately is easy. It flows like water out of your fingertips, and your thoughts crystallize on the page in front of you. It is an exhilarating experience, to say the least. It is, above all else, easy. It is writing when you do not have passion that is the true challenge of the writer, and one that many fail to conquer, which is what sadly brings us to this article.
Today I announce that I will be leaving The Cardboard Republic. I am resigning my position as the Senior RPG Writer and making room for another tabletop writer to take my place. I have chosen to devote my current writing efforts towards continuing my career in fiction writing, something which I have been perennially putting on hold to serve as a gaming journalist. Unfortunately, in doing so, it has become evident to me in recent months that I have lost the passion for writing about gaming that I once had, and it’s challenge that I simply have not been able to overcome.
When I first joined The CR two and a half years ago, I recognized it as a daring effort to offer have a unique voice in the world of gaming. Seeing where it started, I cannot be more proud to have been a part of its ascension. I have watched it grow from a small website with a few dozen articles to the steady, critically acclaimed source of gaming journalism it is today.
This growth has been due to the unending efforts of two hard working and creative people: Ryan and Erin LaFlamme. To call The Cardboard Republic a labor of love would be to sell it short. It is a labor of passion, of joy, of sorrow, of frustration, and, yes, of love. It takes all these things to make something truly great, and that is what I feel the Cardboard Republic is: truly great.
For those of you who followed my Dave of the Five Rings series, thank you. It has been an incredible journey and helped me forge friendships with some truly brilliant and creative people. Returning to the community of L5R players re-awakened my love of the game, and I am truly grateful for that opportunity. I still have my fingers crossed for the game’s return as an LCG in 2017, and hopefully I will see you all at Gen Con for another round of banzai calls.
For those of you whom followed my RPG review series, You Should Be Playing, thank you. There are new and exciting games being released every month, and keeping up with them would be a challenge for any person. We, the gamers of today, are living in a golden age of creativity and expression, where the accepted formula of what makes a tabletop game good are being examined and deconstructed. Games today, simply, are better than they have been ever in our past. Keep making amazing games, and keep playing amazing games. Above all else, remember this: you should be playing.
And for those of you who followed my op-ed series, Up On A Soapbox, thank you. These are perhaps the ones which have received the greatest criticism and interaction with my audience. I have been fortunate to have gamers respond to me directly regarding them, challenging me where I should be challenged and educating me where I should be educated. They have also been the hardest articles for me to write, and the ones that have taught me the most about the craft.
Thank you, dear reader, for sharing this journey with me, and while our paths diverge from this point, we do not know what the future holds. I hope to see you again on the far side of this path. Know that you are in good hands here – the best hands even. I look forward to watching The Cardboard Republic continue to grow and change, and remain one of the best, most enthusiastic places for independent gaming coverage on the Internet.
See you in the funny pages, dear reader.
Sincerely,
David Gordon
P.S. These are some of my personal favorite articles:
You Should Be Playing Mars Colony: 39 Dark
Gaming Archetypes and Roleplaying
Dave of the Five Rings: Chapter 10
David Gordon was a regular contributor to the site, and we wish him well. A storyteller by trade and avowed tabletop veteran, we wish him well as he pursues his fiction career. He can continue to be found on his personal Twitter account.