The Year Ahead: Lin Codega

The first year of Rascal is almost over, and even though I went through some twists and turns, working on (and later stepping back from) this site has been a massive source of pride. With the hope that I can return later in 2025, I'm offering my thoughts on last year and the year ahead.

Thank you all for reading, supporting, and sharing Rascal. Without you, we wouldn't be here. None of us take that responsibility lightly.

My favorite story Rascal published in 2024

There’s a lot to love on Rascal in our inaugural year, but I think my favorite pieces are the ones where two or three of us join together like some kind of Journalism Voltron in order to take on a massive topic, check and recheck our work, or just write letters to each other. Anything that involves collaboration comes out, I think, in a naturally stronger, voice-ier manner, and really claims the story. Whether it’s tackling weirdos in Web3, gossiping about live shows, or discussing the end of campaigns, anything that we do together comes out stronger. 

I’m also extremely proud of our coverage on unions and labor actions!

If you forced me to pick a favorite piece I wrote… I loved revisiting Violence might be 25 years old but it’ll still kick your ass. Violence is still such a relevant critique of contemporary game design, and the semi/psuedo-anonymous Designer X was kind enough to give me a couple choice quotes for the blow.

Favorite game I played this year

My gameplaying was rudely interrupted when I moved cross-country and was taken away from my regular gaming group (Captain Vasko you are missed). That said, I did play more than my fair share of Eat the Reich, Rowan, Rook & Decard’s ultra-violent fantasy where vampires devour Nazis for fun. It was cathartic and furious and bright and poppy and genuinely so easy to pick up and play. It’s not the perfect party game, but it’s pretty close. 

I was also delighted to play a game of Monsterhearts using the Clear Eyes, Can’t Lose sports supplement, based on the future-award-winning movie Challengers. My boy Ilya was an eldritch horror who appeared on earth for both a good time and a long time. Formerly known as Dionysus, later known as Rasputin, he had found that for the last 75 years the love of the game really was enough for him. 

Also, to be sentimental, Rowan, Chase, and I were lucky enough to play a game of The Triangle Agency at Gen Con this year, and I had a blast putting a ton of kitty stickers on my character sheet as I played a dumb himbo with a heart of gold who booped a floating brain to complete a sidequest. 

Games I want to play in 2025

I’ve been reading through The Hidden Isle by Causa Creations, and I’m hoping to pull together an in-person game soon. I love Blades in the Dark, and I love tarot mechanics that blend both luck and fortune-telling, and the art in this book is stunning. Running games is one of those things that I don’t do enough of, but I’m hoping to correct that in a month. I also decided to treat myself and ordered The Zone, which I am very excited to receive so I can begin my transformation into a corrupted creature of rot and arcane energies.

Additionally, I maintain hope that one day I will be able to play a full campaign of Heart: The City Beneath, which I have admired for years and never been able to find enough people (and a GM) willing to play. 

Also, Seven Part Pact, if only to say I did.

What I learned this year

Building Rascal based on trust and mutual respect was extremely hard and extremely worth it. Running a business is terribly difficult and taking a step back from something that you built with your friends and colleagues is also extremely difficult. I’m happy with my choices but really working towards embodying the values on which we founded Rascal took a lot of intention. I’m excited to continue to learn how to be a better colleague and comrade to all of us who work on Rascal. 

Looking ahead…

I’m really paying close attention to how some of these new fantasy heartbreakers stack up against the reigning heavyweight. There are four or five larger core books coming to the public in 2025, and I think at least one or two of them have the juice needed to muscle in on territory many might have considered untouchable a few years ago.  

Crowdfunding has been undergoing a lot of shifts as creators of all sizes attempt to reconcile with the feast-or-famine model, and I’m curious about how people will navigate game funding in 2025. I hope that we’ll see a rise in collectives, funds, and unions which will help chart a path through the financial challenges many in the industry are experiencing.

As games continue to push towards experimental forms, I think there is a lot of room for the Lyric Game to return. It had a surge in popularity just before the pandemic and then kind of petered out. The last impactful and (this is a big one) identifiable Lyric Game I can remember was Horse Girl by Samuel Mui. I want more weird freak games for weird freaks. I want more people writing experimental work for the love of the game. I want to see a return to the unplayable, hostile, and actively bleeding games. Send me your worst of lists immediately.