Min-Maxing My TRPG Build in Another World - Volume 3 - Chapter Aft

Afterword

I dedicate this work to the esteemed readers who continue to enjoy these stories; the publishers and editors that helped me release yet another volume; the masterful Lansane who consistently elevates the text with their stunning illustrations; and to my dear grandmother enjoying her interminable vacation.

This is my third opportunity to draft a rather stylistically Western afterword—by which I mean to say that I have been granted the honor of a third volume. While not quite as long-running as my beloved A Tale of Mace and Gun, I have now written as many works as there are core rulebooks for a game set in a certain sharp-edged world. And the universe in which impromptu alliances are turned into dice to physically beat down the enemy with only has one base rulebook, putting me ahead.

Jokes aside, the barrier of a third volume is a far larger hurdle to leap than that of a second, and it truly surprises me that the work was published in spite of the viral state of the world. While I know not whether I can clear the ever-growing hurdle of a fourth entry in this series, I struggle to find the right words to thank everyone who has joined me on the journey thus far.

Knowing this volume will release at the end of January, I am floored by the magnanimous souls who will spend precious parts of their days to purchase it in these trying times. Like the first volume, the circumstances around the release may give me an external justification for any potential poor showing; however, this series has an unexplainable one-to-one ratio when it comes to physical-to-digital sales, muddying the validity of such an excuse. I hear most works clock in at three-to-one or four-to-one ratios, so I thought I’d failed a perception check when I’d first asked for the statistics.

Between the publication of the second and third volumes, the web novel has surpassed twenty million total page views. The first volume has over two hundred Amazon reviews, the second has over one hundred, and unbelievably enough, the November sale saw the Kindle version place second among Overlap Bunko’s recent releases. At this point, I’m starting to feel the need to roll 1D100 just to make sure this isn’t all a dream.

Of course, a tabletop gamer’s sanity is wanting as is, so perhaps I’m already a lost cause.

At any rate, this volume does not contain any major plot differences; I instead opted to make sweeping revisions to the text while retaining the web novel’s story beats.

Any opportunity to add more would allow my incessant compulsion to follow every sentence with another of its kind to go unchecked, and this arc wrapped up very neatly without any overhauls, so this is for the best. Even so, I have added or revised around fifty thousand characters in the hope that online readers will be able to enjoy a fresh read.

With this volume comes the long-awaited Mr./Ms./Mx. Mika. At once man, woman, and neither, a friend so all-encompassing almost seems suspect. His relatability through fraternity combined with her tenderness of the fairer sex is packaged in the body of a powerful mage, and Lansane’s masterwork in bringing their allure to life leaves me absolutely stunned.

Their work on the knees and hips is especially remarkable: even the most skilled cross-dressers find camouflaging these parts of the body an insurmountable challenge. Seeing my portrayals so thoroughly understood and rendered leaves me unable to suppress my gratitude.

As of now, Mika is still young and unable to command the unique social position of sexual fluidity, but they will make better use of their alternating gender as time goes on. This is far into the future: as of the time of writing in December, they have only just begun to do so in the web novel.

The third volume failed to reach Erich’s reaction to Mika’s first shift or their rewards for clearing an ichor maze, so the details will have to wait for the next entry in the series. Volume four will also introduce a timeless fantasy race as enthralling as they are terrifying, so I sincerely hope to deliver another sequel.

With all that said, the current state of the world has made it terribly difficult to play TRPGs. It is a sad time when my friends have to close down—albeit temporarily—the tabletop convention they have run for so long. College clubs can’t recruit new members or offer sit-in sessions without endangering those involved, and I lost my annual opportunity to visit my alma mater when they canceled their school festival.

Yet in spite of it all, the tabletop community remains strong. I purchased tons of apocrypha—er, I mean supplements that came out this year, and many classic titles were remastered into deluxe editions. With all the new programs and tools that have come out to support online sessions, perhaps one day I might have the honor of sitting at a virtual table with readers of this series.

Well... I say that, but my schedule this year has been so packed that I haven’t had any time to actually play a tabletop game—traditional board games included. I’ve bought a great number of the latter, but sadly, the best I’ve managed all year has been to read through the rulebooks alone and gawk at the pretty pieces.

Living in a world where safety is interlinked with solitude is painful, but no night is without its dawn. Just as every storm cedes to sunlight eventually, I believe we will one day be able to sit around our tables and laugh ourselves to tears. Sometimes my 2D6 rolls average a five and boxcars only show up to kill my players as the GM, but the magical sessions that make me want to scribble out a replay are always waiting on ahead. I’m sure our joyful days are waiting with them.

I would like to close out this afterword with an earnest wish: I pray to meet you again in volume four, and for us to return to our tables safe and healthy.

That said, I hope to see you again in the next session. Make sure to bring your character sheets. With any luck, the GM will remember to bring the USB with the campaign’s scenario on it.

[Tips] The author uploads side stories and world-building details to @Schuld3157 on Twitter as “extra replays” and “rulebook fragments.”