All that lives is born to die. All that is made will crumble to dust. This column is no exception. Gentle readers, this is the end. I have written fifty-seven columns of "A Bit of History" and it has been a long and wonderful ride. However, things change and I am not the writer or gamer I was when this column started. Tastes change, interests shift, and I find myself reading and playing, as well as writing, fewer historically based games. Part of the reason for ending "A Bit of History" is simply scheduling, with my work as the writer and line developer for Cubicle 7's Rocket Age RPG, I just do not have the time to research a new historical era or topic and write a column about it every month. Thus the recent increase in reviews, which is not what I want the column to be about. It has become harder and harder to produce this column, and I feel it is time to end it before it slumps in quality and readership.

My interests have shifted, and I find myself drawn more and more into the realm of science fiction and pulp gaming. Partially this is because my work on Rocket Age requires me to consume more sci-fi and pulp (in all its wondrous variety) media. In many ways this has been a reawakening of sci-fi for me, as I had moved away from that genre years ago. That my son is growing into a sci-fi fan only fuels the fire.

I have enjoyed the time I have spent on "A Bit of History", and I appreciate the opportunity that it has given me to write about gaming and historical issues. I landed my first professional writing job (Blood Tide: Black Sails and Dark Rituals coming soon from Chaosium) largely through my work on this column. I would like to give thanks to Shannon Appelcline for accepting my proposal for "A Bit of History", and thus starting off my RPG writing career. Finally, a big thank you to all of those who have read "A Bit of History" over the years.

An ending is a new beginning, and as we close the last page on "A Bit of History" we open a new page. What follows history? Well, the present is fleeting, but the future, the future stretches ever onward to the distant horizon. Join me next week as we sail beyond the sunset into new worlds, for The Future is in front of us.