RPGFan Turns 20
That's like, 100 in internet years, right?
12.31.17 - 6:06 PM

It's been a while since I made a post like this — my first was in August — but December 2017 marks a particular milestone in RPGFan history: It was the month we started, even if we were called LunarNET at the time. A detailed look back from 1997-2002 remains our oldest special feature, but let's talk about today first.

We've always considered 1998 our inception year, since we weren't around for much of 1997. Which is why 2018 is when we'll properly be celebrating our 20th Anniversary.

As I write this, we're deliberating on our Games of the Year awards. As 2017 brought a ridiculous number of good games to us, there's some real competition for the winners. We posted over 130 reviews in 2017, a number that shocks even me. Our staff grew a little this year, with our latest hires — Hilary, Keegan, Nathan, Trent, Tris, and Kyle — quickly becoming key contributors to the team. And we're still in the midst of Fabula Nova Anniversaris, the biggest feature in RPGFan history.

So what's next? Quite a lot. Here's a brief look at what we've got planned for 2018:

• A refreshed design. This one has been on the books so long, I know it seems like bad comedy. But work on a full site overhaul is progressing. Like anything else, it's slower than anticipated, so in the meantime, we're putting the finishing touches on a site refresh that should eliminate some pain points and bring us at least closer to a modern-looking site.


• Games of the Year. We're finalizing our awards for this now, and there's just under a week remaining on our reader's choice voting, so be sure to make your voice heard! We'll be posting the results around mid-January.


• Most Anticipated of 2018. We do this every year, and since some of our choices for 2018 are coming in January, we're going to have this up soon after Games of the Year. We have a list of 50+ games already that are worth a look, so be on the lookout!


• RPGFan 20th Anniversary. That's what this post is about, right? We've been thinking for about a year on this, and there wasn't a single idea we had to celebrate this milestone, so we decided on twelve. Each month throughout 2018, we'll debut a new article or feature to celebrate both RPGFan and the last 20 years of RPGs. Without giving too much away, we'll be looking at our own content over the years, some key moments in RPG history since 1998, and highlighting some of the best games in that time. If you remember 1998, you'll know it was about as rich with memorable games as 2017, so it will be a fun stroll through the past. There will be at least one feature where we'll be collecting your own stories, as there's no RPGFan without our readers. Finally, we'll even be doing the Hollywood action movie thing, and bringing back some retired RPGFan veterans for one last job.

Amidst all this, we'll of course continue bringing you our unbiased reviews — it's worth mentioning again that we at RPGFan are volunteers, so even though it may logically be in our interest to accept those kickbacks that review sites are accused of, I can assure you we do not engage in any such activity. And trust me, we get requests for sponsored content and posts every week — you folks can stop sending those any time, by the way — and it will never appear on this site.

I try and say it as much as possible, but it is an honor every day to work on RPGFan. I love our staff dearly, and their hard work and dedication are a constant source of inspiration. We all strive to make the best site we can, and appreciate everyone who reads the site, listens to our podcasts, and watches our streams, whether you're new to RPGFan, or recall our LunarNET roots.

Twenty years is a very long time in internet years, and we have no intention of slowing down. Here's to 20 more. We hope you stick around for the journey.