One year later

Hello friends,

Yesterday was one year to the date since I first published Last Train to Bremen, and there has been enough small news and things to share that I figured it was worth making a post to mark the occasion! Here’s what’s been happening over the last few months:

Updated digital interface

A lot of folks shared with me, in the itch comments or just anecdotally, that they’ve found the playingcards.io interface for Bremen really handy for online play. I’m thrilled to hear that, but it’s always felt just a little bit plain to me, so I’ve gone ahead and spruced it up with a touch of some visual flair.

Take a look at that!

If you’re accustomed to the previous UI, fear not: the adjustments to this PCIO files are purely cosmetic, it should play exactly the same as the old version. (And if you’re really accustomed to the previous UI, that’s still included in the .zip package as an alternate Light Mode option.)

Awards and recognition

Over the past few months, Bremen has received some notice from various corners of the indie tabletop sphere! I don’t want to list off every single accolade, but I’ll point you all toward a few specific pieces:

• Some great coverage by the ever-tenacious Rascal News on two distinct, separate occasions
• An episode of indie darling podcast Dice Exploder examining the game’s relationship to pregenerated characters, featuring Aaron Lim (one of Bremen’s very first playtesters!)
  • A shoutout in Dice Exploder’s 2024 Year End Bonanza episode, courtesy of game designer and video essayist Aaron Voigt
• Last fall, Bremen was a recipient of The Awards, a holistic independent awards show for tabletop games
• And just yesterday, Bremen was recognized during IGDN’s Indie Groundbreakers awards! Bremen was nominated for Best Rules, Game of the Year, and Most Innovative — and was the winner in the lattermost category!

I want to encourage you to click through those last three links if you aren’t familiar with them. The Dice Exploder Year End Bonanza and the Awards do a lot of great work to uplift and speak to a broad swathe of the tabletop scene, and this year’s Indie Groundbreakers had an incredible lineup of nominees. Bremen is among excellent company in all of them.

What’s coming down the track?

Those are the major updates that I have for now! A handful of folks have been putting out actual play recordings of their games, and a handful of others have shared with me that they’ve got APs coming out at some point in the indeterminate future. If you want to see how other people have approached the game I encourage you to check out some of the extant actual play streams and podcasts (including some in the game’s comments page!)

The last time I put out one of these updates, I mentioned that I was exploring options for a printed/zine release of the game. What I’ll say on that is that exploration is still ongoing: I’ll be sure to share more updates if and when they come up.

It’s an honor and a privilege to see so many folks who’ve left reviews, rated the game, or spoken highly of it to friends. When I first put this game out a year ago, I didn’t expect it to resonate with quite so many people. But I’m thrilled and humbled that it has, and I can’t wait to see what folks do with it next.

Until next time — see you all at the next station!

Caro