Well, one of the worst things I could imagine happening has happened, and overall I think I'll be okay.

I've devoted the last 4 years of my life to developing and directing a Star Wars roleplaying campaign for the RPGA. I have devoted pretty much every spare moment (and many that weren't spare, at the expense of sleep and employment) to building a coherent multi-year story arc. With the help of some very talented people, I was telling a complex, cinematic story in the medium of Role Playing games, in the very special environment of Uncle George's sandbox. Everything we wrote was reviewed and approved by LucasFilm Licensing, and we were an official part of the Expanded universe.

Some time after I began the journey, there was a change of management at RPGA, and the organization began what I felt was a serious decline. Instead of a focus on providing a quality roleplaying experience, it seemed to me that the focus had turned to providing only a marketing front. It also became increasingly clear that the individual to whom I reported disliked me, my style and my independence.

And now... he's "decided not to renew my contract". I was two years from the end of a 5 year story arc, and the story was just getting really good. The modules we were producing were among the finest we'd done. We had an ambitious plan for the coming year, and were well into production. We'd built and finally successfully implemented a rich background (metagame) system so that the players could fill in the holes in their characters' lives.

And now... someone else will be in charge. The company has "no need" for the materials we had in process; they're going to take a "new direction". I was not even granted the courtesy of the name of my replacement. I'll find out when the rest of the community finds out.

This lack of courtesy, of simple respect, has been the hallmark of my relationship with the new management. It actually makes it a little easier for me to bear this loss. While the campaign, the story, was my baby, I had found the organization increasingly difficult to tolerate. It simply doesn't stand for the things it did when I signed on. I was willing to keep fighting the good fight because I cared about the story, and cared about the players who were making it their own -- but I have to confess to a sense of rellief.

I shall miss Living Force with all my heart. It was my greatest work, and I don't know that I will ever do anything that good again. But... I made some wonderful friendships, and a lot of people had a wonderful time. I did well -- I may have even done some good.

And now, I have all sorts of free time.