What am I Even Doing?
I’ve been in the wargaming industry in some capacity for over 20 years. Some of it has been as a consumer, some of it has been as an employee, and some of it has even been at a writing capacity! There are some frustrations I have with wargaming as a whole, and while these frustrations don’t apply to every game, I imagine almost every wargamer has experienced them.
Companies need to make money. That’s how business works. That’s how privatized industry works. It is just the nature of the beast. Unfortunately for the consumer, the larger a company gets, the hungrier it becomes for your hard-earned money. Some companies charge you for rules, others for models, some for both, and there are even some companies that charge a monthly fee for rules access. This isn’t bad, and in many cases a low monthly fee that offers instant access to the rules is a fantastic way to lower the barrier for entry!
But slowly, over time, the passion dies. Writers and leadership get replaced. Slowly what started as a grassroots company turns into a corporate dystopia of board meetings and bar graphs. You watch as something you have spent your precious time on slowly gets watered down into a vague mockery of what brought you into the hobby.
This is the primary frustration that drives me to create. I want to share my passion with the world. My passion for miniatures and dice. I want to play games and share them with everyone, but I want to do it on my terms. I want you to have fun, and I want it to be an affordable experience that isn’t driven by data charts and dollar signs. So my son and I are working on bringing those games to all of you. Things that started as hobby time in the basement are getting tweaked, refined, and put out in the wild for all to enjoy, and the best part is that as long as I’m around you will never have to pay anything to access our games.
Soon (ish) we will offer print on demand hard-copies of rules, which will be for sale, but all digital rules will go up for free on our website as we publish them. Because at Sixth Month Studios we believe that wargaming is something that should be fun, not stressful.
But What’s Coming Next?
As games release we will have adjoining videos on our official channel. Some of them will be lore-based, others rules-based, but they will always be free and accessible for anyone that wants to play. And this doesn’t mean I won’t ever talk about other companies or other games. I’m still a gamer at-heart, so I’m not going to try to hide the fact that I still play things like Marvel Crisis Protocol or Starcraft. There’s room for both on my table!
The first game, Battle for Greyloch, will go live no later than Thanksgiving! This launch will essentially be an open-beta format. Limited factions, fully fledged rules, and a feedback form for those that want to share their experiences with the game!
Greyloch is a low-to-mid fantasy setting with mass battles, loose formations, and balanced narrative and competitive play in mind. This miniature agnostic game will only ever tell players what bases they need, and never what models they may use, though factions will have their own distinct aesthetic and flavor in any art that we produce!
Releasing alongside, though not at the same time, as Greyloch is our Fantasy Sports game Smashball! A gridless game that combines elements of sports such as American Football and Rugby in the Greyloch setting in a way that places more emphasis on the sport aspect of the game without becoming a granular football simulator!
Whether you are looking to fillet your foes or toss some tuds, we have you covered!