The year was 2010, #RPGenesis was born in https://abreojogo.com, a forum for tabletop games in Portugal. Inspired on #NaNoWriMo from the beginning, we challenged each other to write a new #ttrpg in a week by putting at least 5K words on paper. I try to make a convincing logo.
In 2011 #RPGenesis becomes international joining designers from Portugal and Brazil. Here are a few submissions that I've still managed to keep on my hard drive from that year. Already an incredible variety of #ttrpg ideas were made into actual playable games.
For the 2012 #RPGenesis we tried to have two different weeks, one to create new games and another to work on already existing ones. We also start translating the event to English. Both attempts have little engagement, the original premise is still what keeps the event going.
In 2013, I tried to work some more on the #RPGenesis graphical design and communicate better in English. This was also the auspicious time of Google+ before it began to sunset. 'member that?
The 2014 #RPGenesis had the event's first official webpage from which it pointed to Facebook, Twitter and Google+, all in an attempt to decentralize it as much as possible following the regrettable exodus from open internet forums into closed social networks.
2015 marked the last time that #RPGenesis had two separate weeks, given the lack of interest in working to improve already existing games. This year we also had workshops to help guide participants, but engagement with the event was waning. This lead to a thee-year hiatus.
As a community event, the only thing #RPGenesis really needs is for people to set a date. But everyone keeps associating the event with my ability to host it, asking me when it's gonna be. Thanks to the RPG Portugal Discord server and itch.io game jams, 2019 was our comeback.
For #RPGenesis 2020, I made my favorite version of a design that was already a decade old. The website included shiny particles animating upwards. "The universe smiles upon you..." We settled on the itch.io format and on allowing hacks of already existing games.
In 2021, #RPGenesis had an energy boost from having new hosts, but the old 2010 logo really started showing its age for me. I started wondering if it was possible to replace it, which meant *gasp* trying to draw something else (I'm not a graphical designer).
In 2022, #RPGenesis became even more accessible with the possibility of working on a submission as a team. So I've also scrapped the old landscape and made a simpler logo with a stronger silhouette, one that you could trace with your finger.