Hey there, everyone! This is Tony, the Communications/Social Media Manager that makes Mark stop coding and playing games to write a monthly newsletter. I’m here to introduce you to the new Lore Link Newsletter.
Ever since September 2021, when Mark first introduced himself and Lore Link, we’ve done our best to give you updates on Lore Link and its team, and I have done my best to keep my “no spam” promise. Over the past four and a half years, though, Lore Link has started becoming more than just a TTRPG Campaign Management Tool, and it’s time for our monthly newsletter to start reflecting that.
Not only has the team continued to work hard on making sure you can organize your games in a way that makes sense to you, we have also started giving a platform for Independent Game Creators around the world to talk about their games through our Twitch stream. Since I didn’t have enough to do, I have started a blog where we talk about these streams, as well as give Lore Link updates, and monthly rundowns covering what cool things I can find like conventions, crowdfunding campaigns, and updates on where you can find us in the real world.
So, without further ado, I’m going to pass this over to Mark, to fill you in on the normal goings-on happening with Lore Link. In addition, I think he’s got a little teaser for something nifty coming up in the next few months!
Thanks Tony, I’ll take it from here. While the newsletter format may be new, we certainly haven’t completely changed the way we are doing things at Lore Link. We are still streaming interesting topics, from Mike and I managing to get Battlemarked (the D&D Demeo game) working this time, and having some great adventures, complete with Mike’s signature move: setting most of the map on fire. Speaking of D&D I’ve been given the opportunity to run a new D&D campaign, which has led to me taking apart the new starter box set. Heroes of the Borderland is a new introductory twist on the classic module Keep on the Borderland, and I got it set up in Lore Link to make my time running it go much smoother! We also had another great guest in our Indie Creator series, with Guillaume Jentey joining myself and Martine to share his incredibly creative games, including the 3-on-1 Sonja and Conan vs the Ninjas. Our streaming for the next several weeks will be a bit more relaxed, due to conventions and other exciting opportunities (we’ll talk more about that later!), but we’ll still be around playing games, and planning TTRPG sessions (I’m looking forward to getting a chance to plan out the new-Zelda-ish TTRPG Twilight Sword!).
Speaking of trying out new things, we’ve got updates in Lore Link for you to try out, with version 7.1! First of all, we are adding a dice roller to Lore Link. We’ve worked with the amazing people at dddice to allow you to use all the cool, shiny, click-clack math rocks you could want from their site. Simply register for an account, get dice, a room, and an API Key, and you’ll be able to roll directly within Lore Link! Additionally, we have done some clarification of terms used inside of Lore Link. Characters have become NPCs, Players have become Characters, and Player Users have just become Players. This has been done in order to make it easier for all users to quickly and intuitively understand how to interact with Lore Link. As a reminder, if you want to change the name of the category back (or to something altogether different), Custom Categories are available for all paid-tier members!
So what’s next for Lore Link? That’s the most exciting part. Since the beginning of Lore Link, we’ve been working to make life easier for GMs. That has initially meant giving them a place to write, organize, and find their ideas and notes for their campaign. We have expanded that to allow GMs to invite their players into their campaigns to share their notes as well as get their information. Now we’re looking at taking a bigger step and helping GMs find Creators! This means helping Creators sell their systems, adventures, and art in a safe, profitable, and accessible fashion. Best of all, we will also be working with creators to not only provide their awesome creations in traditional means (digital downloads) but also hooking it directly into Lore Link’s campaign management application. So, stay tuned for more information about the marketplace as we look to make it the best possible place for GMs and Creators!
Hey, it’s Tony again! Like I said, there’s some really nifty things coming down the pike, and we’re hoping to talk about them in person this weekend with you at Origins, and we’re hoping to have a lot more to talk about at Gen Con, which is right around the corner! Please remember, not only do we have Lore Link itself, but we also have the Twitch stream, our YouTube channel (which I’m working on improving as time permits), our blog, and our Bluesky account. If you’re wondering where we’re going to be, like at Origins this weekend or Gen Con in a few months, check out our Community page. Finally, we also have the Lore Link Discord server, where you can talk with fellow gamers and ask questions of the Lore Link team.
Thank you all for following us on this journey. If you’ve read this far, thank you! It’s nice to know none of our words went to waste!
Until next month, may neither you nor your players get stuck with cold dice. A bunch of critical failures is no fun for anyone.
