One month ago, actually on August 31st, my family and I set up our Halloween/Samhain decorations. All of our Home Depot yard props came out, along with our handmade tombstones to boot.

Even though I try to live as though Halloween is every day, there is something special about October 1st.

Living in Southern California means summer fights for every last bit of heat that it can possibly dish out. I’m a white dude and my people evolved in fog and forested areas. The desert, or in my case the high desert, is basically the opposite of what my ancestors lived with. To say I struggle during the summer months is an understatement.

In my heart of hearts it is always fall.

It is perpetually Samhain.

Even when it’s 100°F outside, I still want my hot coffee with a splash of Jack Daniel’s, please!

But now October is finally here.

Today is also the deadline for the first pass of play-testing for Samhain: Hearth & Horror with my Patreon supporters.

I have already received some very useful feedback and have plans to update the main document. As well, I am writing new content that will be included in a forthcoming release.

There are rules to clarify, things to tighten up, and some areas that just need a little more explanation. That is what play-testing is for. You put something out there, people actually play the damn thing, and you find out what works and what doesn't.

Right now, though, I am going to attempt to soak in every ounce of October that I can.

The turning leaves.

The orange pumpkins.

The fall flavors.

The yard props.

The spooky soundtracks.

And as many Samhain: Hearth & Horror games as I can logically run.

This time of year fuels so much of what Samhain is.

The setting may be perpetually autumn, but I still have to draw that inspiration from somewhere. October is when I can step outside and, at least occasionally, feel a little bit of the Vale around me.

Just because today is the deadline for this first round of play-testing Samhain does not mean you have missed out.

For the Red Hand Tier and above, the files are still accessible. You can play to your heart's content and give me feedback as you can.

I am still a ways off from a final version of Samhain.

It always seems like the last 10% to 15% of any project is the hardest. The big stuff is mostly there. Now comes all the refining and reshaping that eventually brings the thing into its final form.

Or at least as final as an RPG book ever gets.

My brain, of course, is already moving beyond the core book.

I am already thinking about the first Mugwort Zine, covering The Gourd Garden Hexatic County.

I want to get deeper into the places, people, monsters, customs, rumors, and all the weird little things that make the Gourd Garden what it is.

But I have to remind myself that the core book comes first.

And right now, October comes first too.

I have to breathe in and absorb enough of this amazing time of year so I can keep giving when January rolls around and I have five feet of snow on the ground.

So for now, I am going to enjoy the pumpkins, drink the coffee, listen to spooky music, run some games, and take in as much October as I possibly can.

It is finally here.