A pillar of the tabletop RPG industry has run afoul of some very difficult obstacles, and his colleagues are helping him get on top of the medical bills from it with several projects to defray the cost of care.
Owen has journaled his experiences thus far on his website (Owen K.C. Stephens; note that he is vigorously forthright so there are squicky parts) but to summarize: after a pulmonary embolism brought him into the hospital, more tests and diagnostics revealed he has stage 2 cancer. This initial week of hospital time ranked up a bill of $7,000 (because America is GREAT about health care) and there are several efforts being made to help Owen avoid crippling debt in addition to his medical woes.
Not sure who Owen is? For decades now he's had his hands in awesome books from all over the TTRPG industry from Dungeons & Dragons (3rd Edition and onward) to Star Wars (the d20 version), Pathfinder, Starfinder, and so many more. Shucks he's even got a Wikipedia page: Owen K.C. Stephens - Wikipedia.
These bundles are available until May 15th. This is a great opportunity to do something good for somebody twice over—if you've already got a lot of what's in these bundles, consider buying one as a gift for a friend so yinz can enjoy them together!
Directly: For those inclined to make a direct contribution without getting a 90s hard drive worth of RPGs, he has a Ko-Fi too.
Like A Boss: Owen has influenced a ton of RPG designers and many of them are contributing to a charity book spearheaded by Samurai Sheepdog Games specifically to help him in this current plight. If you are a TTRPG designer, cartographer, or artist and would like to collaborate, check out the press release and contact Hal Greenberg.
Thank you for reading this article, consider getting a bundle (or both!), and please let people know these are available.
Owen has journaled his experiences thus far on his website (Owen K.C. Stephens; note that he is vigorously forthright so there are squicky parts) but to summarize: after a pulmonary embolism brought him into the hospital, more tests and diagnostics revealed he has stage 2 cancer. This initial week of hospital time ranked up a bill of $7,000 (because America is GREAT about health care) and there are several efforts being made to help Owen avoid crippling debt in addition to his medical woes.
Not sure who Owen is? For decades now he's had his hands in awesome books from all over the TTRPG industry from Dungeons & Dragons (3rd Edition and onward) to Star Wars (the d20 version), Pathfinder, Starfinder, and so many more. Shucks he's even got a Wikipedia page: Owen K.C. Stephens - Wikipedia.
Owen KC Stephens Medical Bundle #1: http://bit.ly/3KNMw8f (100+ PDFs)
5th Edition, 13th Age, Dusk City Outlaws, Eclipse Phase 1st ed, Mutants & Masterminds, Pathfinder 1st ed, Pathfinder 2nd ed, Savage Worlds, Starfinder, and system agnostic productsOwen KC Stephens Medical Bundle #2: http://bit.ly/3Uu6JTV (80+ PDFs)
ACE – The Awfully Cheerful Engine, Eclipse Phase, ICONS, Mutants & Masterminds, Pathfinder 1st ed, Pathfinder 2nd ed, Shadow of the Demon Lord, Shotguns & Sorcery: The Roleplaying Game, Spectaculars Core Game, and StarfinderEach bundle is $34.95 (a 95% discount).
These bundles are available until May 15th. This is a great opportunity to do something good for somebody twice over—if you've already got a lot of what's in these bundles, consider buying one as a gift for a friend so yinz can enjoy them together!
Other Ways to Help Owen That Do Not Involve A Bank Vault Amount of RPGs
Patreon: Owen also has a (great) Patreon. If you are a tabletop game designer seriously look it over, half of it is wise-industry-old-timer content pointing at you.Directly: For those inclined to make a direct contribution without getting a 90s hard drive worth of RPGs, he has a Ko-Fi too.
Like A Boss: Owen has influenced a ton of RPG designers and many of them are contributing to a charity book spearheaded by Samurai Sheepdog Games specifically to help him in this current plight. If you are a TTRPG designer, cartographer, or artist and would like to collaborate, check out the press release and contact Hal Greenberg.
Thank you for reading this article, consider getting a bundle (or both!), and please let people know these are available.