Let's Plays: An Indefinite Delay (Patreon)

Hey!

I wanted to take a moment to write to you today to share an unfortunate piece of news: We’re indefinitely delaying (cancelling, really, but more on that later) our planned Let’s Play series.

To catch you up (and cut right to the chase), you may recall that -- earlier this year -- we surpassed a couple of stretch goals in machinegun-like fashion. One goal was to deliver some Let’s Plays, while the other was to bring forth a second weekly episode of Sacred Symbols+. As you’ve likely noticed, we’ve been churning-out two episodes of + a week for a while now, and it’s proven really popular. So that rocks. No problems there.

The unfortunate reality, however, is that we’re kind of at maximum capacity right now. I know I am, for sure, and I think I can speak for the team, too. It's kinda-sorta starting to get to me. I can't turn off the work. But I must. One of the things I’ve tried to do with Last Stand is create a culture that expects and rewards toil, but also draws a line and respects boundaries. I think I’ve steadily overworked myself for years, and it’s catching up to me, but I also know that my guys, particularly Dustin and Ben, already have their plates very full. Our co-hosts, too, who would be tapped to record, manage, and produce these videos, are barely disconnecting from all the work on their shoulders as it is. I think by asking less of them, we get more. We definitely get better. And that's what's most important.

So, for the mental health and sanity of all of us, and in living the principles of 'quality over quantity,' I am hereby unencumbering us. We didn’t expect to hit two stretch goals days from one another, and we’re not yet equipped to scale at a pace necessary to accommodate the level of growth those stretch goals entailed. The buck stops with me, and I’m truly sorry about that.

That said, I suspect this won’t be much of a problem for virtually any of you. We give you six podcasts a week. Six! Sacred Symbols, two episodes of Sacred Symbols+, Defining Duke, Defining Duke Ultimate, and KnockBack. Week-in, week-out, no missed episodes. Not to be too Larry David like in my forwardness, but… that’s enough.

The future no doubt holds new programming. Let’s Plays may be in there. But at the current time, I want to focus on what we do best -- podcasting! -- and I also want to grow sustainably, responsibly, and sensibly. These are good problems for us to have. We’re getting bigger and we’re doing more. With our live show coming up and the idea of doing more in 2022 and beyond, I think we have some very exciting, very Last Stand-like surprises up our sleeve that will more than make up for not having to watch me play Mega Man 3 again.

Above all else, though, it's important to introduce a better semblance of order, and that starts with doing less when more is simply unneeded. The value with our content is already there in spades... and I know you know that. You support it. It exists because of you!

I thank you for your kindness and understanding, and hope you have a great week. -Colin