Have you ever wanted to learn some of the goings-on in the Tabletop Roleplaying Game (TTRPG) industry? Have you wondered if working or creating in this industry is for you? Have you looked at the people on stage or on streams or in the credits and wondered, could I do that, one day? Have you ever felt the drive or compulsion to make games to express ideas you don't think you could pull off in other mediums? POLYHEDRAL: B-Sides & Late Nights may be the book to help you figure these questions out.

Across (roughly) 250 pages* are interviews with people across the TTRPG industry: some are streamers and performers, some are designers, some have careers that have only blossomed in the past four or five years as a result of the industry growing. There's no discussion of a product for marketing, there is no rubric or agenda or "gotcha!" moment to be found in them. There's only this: as one human in this industry, I want to see the other humans who are here with me.

The first POLYHEDRAL book was started and made over the course of my early years as a writer, designer and general niche name in the TTRPG industry, and here I am with its sequel. Where the first book was born from my early years in this industry trying to learn about my peers, this second book carries with it the idea of distances and transitions: on the emotional and physical space between us and others, who we've been, and who we'll be, and how we all change over the course of our creative and, often, fulfilling work.

*In the first POLYHEDRAL I had said in the campaign that it was going to be "150+ pages long", and it wound up being over 300. I'm being a little more cautious this time around.

There are an abundance of people in the TTRPG industry spanning a plethora of fields, from live performance on stage, online performances on streams, publishers and designers from all across the world from places in the West all the way to the Global South. Some with more fame to their name then others, some who have come to the industry as a 9 to 5 worker, some who are creators across social media.

B-Side Interviews are conversations with these people ranging from passions to fears, imposter syndrome to vindications, professionalism and friendship, and more. Some lean more to analytical and advice column side, some lean to talks of personhood and identity. They usually run around two hours long, and are transcribed to (roughly) 8 to 10 pages in length.

In my four years working in this industry, the best conversations I ever had were at conventions, late at night, when everyone is exhausted but happy. When people feel a relief and escape from day to day pressure and stress, from putting in the public face, from trying to network for work and switch to trying to connect to others through a shared sense of "this person gets me".

Late Night Interviews are from this liminal comradery and are shorter, anonymous, and to the point. These words, while extremely personal, could come from anyone in this industry. While you might ask "Who is this person, to think this?", the better question is: "Who hasn't had thoughts like these?" These are (usually) 15 minute conversations discussing one topic or idea, transcribed to 2 pages in length.

A small number of personal essays to introduce you to the work, my thoughts while working through these interviews, and a final farewell once they're all done. Before anything else in my life, I was a writer, whether I wanted to be one or not.

Below are many of the interviewees presented in the book. While most are revealed here and now, I'll be doing late announcements for other interviewees going forward. I promise no one who is as of yet unannounced is some manner of creep, pest, or toxic individual.

Below is a mostly complete list of all Late Night Interviewees. As each person is anonymous, they are instead given an alias, apropos to the interview and the questions that came about. As the campaign moves forward, I'll reveal the last two Late Night Interviewees. Such subjects talked about in these interviews include the following:

Important to note is that, for all things that include a physical reward, shipping is charged separately and after the campaign concludes.

A digital copy of POLYHEDRAL: B-Sides & Late Nights.

A physical copy of POLYHEDRAL: B-Sides & Late Nights. This is a hardcover book that is 11 inches by 11 inches in size, and 250~ pages in length. This comes with a PDF copy.

A physical copy of the Collector's Edition of POLYHEDRAL: B-Sides & Late Nights. This is a hardcover book that is 11 inches by 11 inches in size, and 250~ pages in length. It is identical to the standard edition for its content, with the difference being its appearance. This, too, comes with a PDF copy.

This tier includes a physical copy of the Collector's Edition of POLYHEDRAL: B-Sides & Late Nights, a PDF copy, and includes an hour long talk with Paladin that is transcribed to text as well as recorded onto a cassette tape, which will be mailed to you. It is inadvisable to spend this much money on a talk with me, but if you really want to support this project, this would be a way to do it.

Yes, that says $5000. No, its not a typo. Yes, I'm completely serious. Pledging at this tier gets you a copy of the collector's edition of the book signed by the B-Side Interviewees. Rather than shipping your potential copy around the world, signed pieces of paper will be glued into the book itself, meaning if somehow more than one person pledges at this tier, each book will be unique from one another. If you get this tier I'll also add your name to the list of anyone who gets the NAME IN IN THE BOOK add-on; it'd feel silly not to, at that point. Same for the PDF. You get the PDF, too.

Another copy of the PDF for POLYHEDRAL: B-Sides & Late Nights.

... okay if we're being totally open: I can't control whether or not someone shares a PDF copy with people. I hope they only do it with people they personally know, but I don't have a mind to make a fuss. This add-on is for people who want to share it with people and feel as though they're not cheating the system or ripping me off somehow. Bless your heart, here's your guilt absolver, not that you needed it.

An extra copy of the Physical Edition of POLYHEDRAL: B-Sides & Late Nights.

An extra copy of the Collector's Edition of POLYHEDRAL: B-Sides & Late Nights.

Want to support the project further? With this add-on you'll get your name included in a special THANK YOU* section of the book. If enough people are generous enough I'll try and make a skull or a cassette tape shape with all the names.

*I don't know what the section will be called yet. I might go with something more ominous or severe like SPECIAL THANKS or DEDICATED SUPPORTERS. Who knows. I don't.

This is for a PDF of the original POLYHEDRAL. While you can definitely get the copy off of the Metal Weave Games' website, getting it here supports the overall campaign, which is super appreciated.

This is for both PDF and physical copies of the original POLYHEDARL. The PDF is sent after the end of campaign, and physical is sent alongside other physical rewards.

This is for both PDF and Collector copies of the original POLYHEDRAL. The PDF is sent after the end of the campaign, and physical is sent alongside other physical rewards.

This is the funding goal. This covers paying people on my team, getting this printed and published, and any operational costs. This just lets this book get made and get rolling. Even getting this much would be rad.

At this stretch goal I'd set up to do a Q&A one off podcast episode, taking in any reader/backer questions about POLYHEDRAL as a whole, and saying why I didn't/haven't/wouldn't ask certain questions that people suggest I ask people. This would just be released on different podcast platforms, most likely.

Hidden until the previous stretch goal is achieved.

This is the team behind the creation of POLYHEDRAL: B-Sides and Late Nights, split between working on the trailer and working on the book itself.

The person responsible for this book: me. I'm primarily the interviewer, but if you don't see a task explicitly attributed to someone else listed below, odds are its something I did.

AJ handles the bulk of transcription work, and without his help this book would take so much longer, and become nearly insurmountable.

Kiersten proofreads each interview and is the last line of defense against obvious spelling and syntax errors.

Zachary composed the music heard in the trailer for this book, and worked on balancing the overall audio.

Joe helped with camera operation and filming, as well as color corrected and composed shots for the trailer.

Withabrickk added subtitles and text to the trailer.

I expect much of the book will be done by early 2024, with PDFs sent out by early Spring. To be safe, I expect hardcovers to be able to be printed and shipped out no later than Fall 2024. This timeline is to take into account my health, and any potential health risk that may occur.