Hi folks,

When he died Stan Lee’s obituaries we’re full of effusive praise and hero worship, though a few writers dared to offer a more nuanced view of the Marvel creator. He was an expert self publicist, took credit (on occasion) for other people’s ideas and had enemies as well as admirers.

To some extent, this is to be expected, no writer, musician or film maker brings their work to an audience without some kind of a chequered history behind them.

These days, it is always wise to keep an open mind about such public figures, but I do recall something he said which stays with me. In an interview with the Washington Post he said:

"I used to be embarrassed because I was just a comic-book writer while other people were building bridges or going on to medical careers. And then I began to realize: entertainment is one of the most important things in people’s lives. Without it they might go off the deep end. I feel that if you’re able to entertain people, you’re doing a good thing."

How true.

I am certain the role play gaming can be seen in this light. A weekly session lasting several hours where we step sideways away from the hard work of day to day reality, isn’t just frivolity, it’s an important part of living and growing. It’s what we invest in (and humans have always invested in stories, it’s part of what makes us the creatures that we are).

Comics (sorry, graphic novels) and RPGs are very similar in that they present their audience with new realities to explore; the key difference is how the imagining occurs.

We’re immensely lucky here at Verse to be able to do the imagining with you, in fact there’s no greater thrill for us than hearing how someone has taken the Arcverse and run with it, making something new out of it or taking things in directions we had never even considered.

I am currently working on the next episode of our One Dollar One Shot, which will be available on December 23rd, and we’re going for a festive midwinter vibe (snow bound forests, a midwinter spider monster or something similar), so check it out here and get two one shots a month for a dollar plus your FREE Arclands starter set.

Take care,

Nick at Verse