Monday 1st July

This week I added the third chapter of my YA novel, The Sinking World. This part introduces readers to my protagonist’s connection with the supernatural world and her issues with the real one.

A lot of work was done on Inspirisles, including additional sheets for monsters, NPCs and artefacts, further information on hooks for dungeon masters and players and development of my unique systems, including Dusting and it utilisation of BSL and deaf awareness.

I have set up a discord for my RPG Workshop (@RPGWriterWrkshp) mentees. The course officially started today for the month and for my own experience, I’ve finished the first lesson on the website which explored your writing tools, setup and environment. I’m hoping my mentees will come to me if they need assistance, but if not, I’ll check in with them by the week’s end.

I have a few revelations this week: I took a chance and contacted the TTRPG group Dark Galaxies Gaming (@DarkGalaxiesDM). I have now secured my first professional writing gig and will develop the Dolderia setting with a pool of talented writers, artists and editors. Feeling inspired I also contacted charities Action on Hearing Loss & the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) for endorsement. I also contacted the Sion Hill art and design university in Bath enquiring after students wanting to complete their portfolios through Hatchlings/Inspirisles.

For the week ahead, I will edit the BSL signed alphabet I’ve downloaded to match my Hatchlings aesthetic. I will continue to flesh out Inspirisles, help my mentees with the workshop and make a start on the collaborative Dolderia setting before its Kickstarter campaign towards the end of the year.

Go to relevant pages for these updates.

Deafness & Dragons Update

After some consideration, I realised my ambitions for Deafness & Dragons were too high. The project needs to be manageable and deliverable by my deadline of August 2019. Therefore, I have decided to concentrate more on teaching BSL and deaf awareness to the teens I’ll be DMing for.

I have run a series of deaf awareness sessions in the centre of Bath with local businesses, to encourage their interactions with the deaf community and to ensure they know basic BSL such as the alphabet, greetings and any signs specific to their job roles. I have always found that the students love and appreciate learning the language and I have seen them using it when out and about in town.

Inspirisles will now incorporate deaf awareness, a BSL alphabet and signs specifically designed to express the many spells and abilities in the game.

Beyond this, once the setting is complete, I still want to bring Inspirisles to the deaf school in Bristol and to the wider deaf community.

Monday 10th June

Hatchlings had their 6th session over the weekend as they arrived in the City of Splendours, Waterdeep. This was their introduction to Wizards of the Coast‘s module Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and boy was it dramatic. Only a few of the post-session questionnaires had been completed, so I sent the group home with fresh copies. Hopefully they’ll give me some feedback in a few weeks, otherwise I may have to rethink handouts.

For Inspirisles, I completed an introduction and a creation myth. I also finished pixel art for the eight races and added quotes to text. For the week ahead, I’ll be pixelating the four deities using free art package, GIMP and fleshing out the Questing segment to offer ideas for players to create their own stories in my world. I’ve also created a Project Plan list, which I can strikethrough when elements of the setting are complete.

For Deafness & Dragons, I’ve decided to create a BSL alphabet but for D&D monsters and spells. I’ve added some example photos and explained the process.

Go to relevant pages for these updates.

Monday 3rd June

As HATCHLINGS have their week off, I’ll be concentrating solely on the INSPIRISLES setting, and as of now, its inclusion of the DEAFNESS & DRAGONS project and the deaf BSL lexicon I aim to produce. At some point it’s clear I’ll need a professional artist to complete the work to a publishable standard and the help of a deaf friend at the charity. These collaborators will need paying, so I’m starting to think about crowdfunding options such as Kickstarter, Patreon or Ko-fi.

Go directly to the pages for the updates.

Monday 27th May

As the bank holiday approaches, I’m formulating plans for the blog update on Monday 27th May. Here’s what to expect…

KEYNSHAM HATCHLINGS have their 3rd official session with five teens expected to play. Following the game, I’ll set the kids a research task and encourage them to complete a questionnaire. These documents are for my PhD data, but also a recording of their adventures, something they can look back on fondly in years to come. I’ll also take a bunch of photos for the blog and Twitter.

For the INSPIRISLES setting, I want to write introductory passages for each race (friend) players will choose. These will give the kids an impression of the world they grew up in and the Fey they were adopted by. If I have any time spare, I’ll also start on the pixel representations of each race. These will be used as character templates and can be adjusted accordingly depending on unique characteristics the kids choose (skin colour, eyepatch, hair design, equipment carried etc).

This weekend, I want to dedicate time to designing the DEAFNESS & DRAGONS logo. I plan on taking the Hatchlings dragon illustration and giving it a cochlear implant. I think this will work perfectly alongside the hearing aid symbol of the logo. Behind the scenes, I’ll be contacting representatives at Action on Hearing Loss with my proposal.

Phew! Lot to get done over the next few days, but sustaining momentum is the key to any successful venture.

UPDATE:

HATCHLINGS session was a lot of fun and for some reason the evening finished with one of our players becoming a God. Questionnaires taken home and should be filled out by next session.

INSPIRISLES racial designs in progress. I aim to get the eight principle races represented in pixels by next Monday. I will post new designs here and via Twitter. Also the introductory passages will be done by next week.

As I turn my focus to getting the DEAFNESS & DRAGONS project off the ground, I have contacted Action on Hearing Loss and a deaf school outside of Bristol where a friend and ex-colleague works.
I have also explored appropriate content and world-building on the Deafness & Dragons page.

Featured

HATCHLINGS & BEYOND

That you are here likely means you have some association with tabletop RPGs, so welcome!

This blog will cover the promotion of life skills and empathy through Dungeons & Dragons and deaf awareness in the tabletop RPG space, something I feel deeply passionate about after working with the community for nearly a decade.

The various pages include…

Coverage of Keynsham Hatchlings teen group.
The Inspirisles homebrew setting, created to promote deaf awareness, inclusivity and empathy in teens.
The ambitious Deafness & Dragons project: developing tools to enable the deaf community to enjoy tabletop RPGs.
The Sinking World YA fiction.

Updates every Monday.

Please don’t hesitate to Get in Touch…

Twitter: @HatchlingDM

Facebook: Keynsham Hatchlings

Ko-fi: Ko-fi.com/hatchlings

Email: oxenhamrichard@gmail.com