Category Archives: Site News

An Improved Look for a New Year on Swagnilla Ice

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Greetings everyone!

We’re really into 2026 now and small but important changes have come to Swagnilla Ice over the last few weeks. The biggest one of course is the change in theme and a bit of change of layout. Instead of using Twenty Fourteen and it’s magazine style layout, I have switched to Twenty Eleven, which is more of a blog theme that is customizable to feel more ‘royal’ and majestic. From the custom purple background to the dark colours and chess image in the header, it’s the perfect blog theme for someone who’s focused on a Medieval but Modern style in his gaming and video making.

To complement this royal aesthetic, I have also engineered a new badge system for our comment sections. Members who have joined the Knight or Duke tiers will now see their titles displayed in vibrant colors next to their names. These colors are inspired by our Discord hierarchy to keep things consistent across the entire Swagnilla Ice experience. Additionally, the first one hundred paid members will receive a special gold Founder badge as a permanent mark of their early support for my creative endeavours.

The Founder badge does not appear automatically, but I must give it out myself after you become a paid member. Peasants will not be given this badge or any other badge in the comments as they are reserved for our paid members and staff only (including myself). The badges for myself and the staff are not membership badges but are official marks of their employment with Swagnilla Ice after they are hired. This ensures that when you see a badge in the comments, you know exactly who is a dedicated supporter and who is helping me run the kingdom.

These badges are marks of honour and respect, they have been earned fairly through support or being hired as someone valuable to my team. I expect that everyone will follow the rules of what’s acceptable in the comments when posting.

I have put a lot of work into engineering this new home for Swagnilla Ice to ensure it is a high-quality, private space for us to grow. Whether you remain a Peasant or rise to the rank of Knight or Duke, I am glad to have you here as part of this journey.

Check the header for all the important links, keep an eye on your inbox for post notifications, and I will see you in the comments after you become a member. Let’s make 2026 the best year for Swagnilla Ice yet.

Keep Swagnilla Ice Online – Your Support Matters

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To keep the Swagnilla Ice website operating in its current form, I need the support of my community. While the financial reality of the annual hosting fee—228 USD (approximately 314 CAD)—is substantial, the motivation to continue comes from seeing a clear commitment from you.

The tangible goal is to secure the equivalent of five annual Knight memberships (50 CAD annually each) before June 15, 2026. Reaching this 250 CAD milestone proves that the community values the website, giving me the vital motivation needed to bridge the remaining financial gap and keep the site running for another year.

If this essential support is not secured, the website will unfortunately have to shut down and be replaced by a basic Ko-fi page (as well as other 3rd party services for hosting files). This change is not just a platform switch; it represents a significant loss for our community:

  • Loss of Data Control: Member data ownership would be transferred to the new platform, removing the direct control and privacy currently maintained on the blog. Files would be hosted on a third party, where they could be removed without my consent.
  • The Archive Disappears: All existing articles, quotes, and community history currently housed on the blog will be lost.
  • No Central Hub: The blog is the central location where you can find all my content, including videos from Creative Engineering and The Power Up Notes. Without it, you would have to hunt for content separately on YouTube and Rumble.

If you love the exclusive access and Discord perks of the Knight tier, your support now directly ensures the preservation of the Swagnilla Ice blog, archive, and independence.

If no one chooses to step up in this time of need, the history of this site will be lost forever as well as my full independence to create the content that you enjoy whether it be thought-provoking articles, fun gaming videos, or quotes from the past that are still relevant today. Please consider becoming a Knight member today to help us meet our goal and save the Swagnilla Ice website.

A New Milestone to Reach for Paid Members

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My loyal subjects,

I am excited to announce a new milestone for the kingdom! I’ve established a new goal tied to our paid membership count that, once unlocked, will benefit all members—as long as we maintain the minimum number.

If we reach 25 paid members who remain citizens of the kingdom for at least a month, I will set up a dedicated, peaceful role-play Minecraft server for all Knight and Duke members and staff to enjoy alongside me! This will come complete with a custom modpack specifically designed for this server.

Why have I set this specific milestone of twenty-five paid members? A server, especially one designed to host at least twenty-six people (members plus staff), is not cheap to run. Achieving this level of dedicated support will guarantee that the server does not drain my pocketbooks and ensures it can be consistently run, maintained, and upgraded in the future as required.

When I say peaceful role-play, I mean server members will not have to contend with hostile mobs. Your membership tier will also help determine your role within the kingdom, but rest assured, everyone will have equal opportunities and a great experience. Critically, there will be no pay-to-win features, and we will not use loot boxes. Instead, we’ll use Lootr chests instead of the standard Minecraft chests in generated structures, ensuring everyone who discovers them gets their own unique, guaranteed loot. The complete server rules will be clearly set and posted in a new, dedicated Discord channel so everyone knows exactly what is expected.

This milestone represents the future of Swagnilla Ice and is completely within our grasp! Every single paid membership is a vital step toward bringing this custom Minecraft server to life. If you are currently a Peasant member, consider upgrading to the Knight tier for only $5 a month, or the Duke tier if you want access to the private beta testing channel. Let’s work together to gain those first 25 members and unlock this exciting new world for the kingdom!

Your king,
Swagnilla Ice (Nathan Pinno)

Black Friday Through Cyber Monday: Save Big While Supporting Swagnilla Ice!

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The annual savings event is here! From Black Friday through Cyber Monday, you can save on the first month of my paid membership tiers if you go the monthly support route.

Use the discount code BlackFridayCyberMonday at checkout to get these massive savings:

  • Knight: Save $2 on your first month (usually $5/month).
  • Duke: Save $25 on your first month (usually $150/month).

You will still receive all the incredible benefits of your chosen tier—including full access and a sign in my Minecraft worlds—when you use the code.

This sale is a fantastic opportunity to join the Swagnilla Ice community and directly support my work.

Don’t wait! This special event ends at 12 AM MST on Tuesday, December 2nd.

New Yearly Subscriptions Are Here!

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I’m excited to announce that you now have the option to subscribe to Swagnilla Ice on a yearly basis!

You can now get 12 months of access for the price of 10 on the Squire, Knight, Lord/Lady, and Duke/Duchess tiers. That’s a 16% discount just for choosing to support Swagnilla Ice for a whole year upfront.

If you love the content and want the easiest way to keep enjoying full access, a yearly subscription is the best way to go. Just select the annual option when you sign up today!

Welcome to the New Swagnilla Ice!

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Hark, loyal subjects of Swagnilla Ice!

I come before you today with a royal decree! While I shall continue to create my tales of adventure on YouTube, both through my gaming series and the A Few Moments with God podcast, I have decided to return to the hallowed halls of the blog. This will be a place for me to share my thoughts, plans, and even a few sneak peeks of what I’m working on.

In a show of my gratitude for your continued support, I have also decided to restructure the kingdom of Swagnilla Ice. Our new membership tiers will now reflect the journey of a true hero. Starting from humble beginnings and growing to a position of great power.

  • The Peasant tier is for all who wish to follow my journey. It is free and gives you basic access to all the goings on in my kingdom.
  • The Squire tier is a small pledge of $1 per month. For this, you get full access to the kingdom and a sign in my Minecraft worlds.
  • The Knight tier is a more substantial pledge of $5 a month, which also grants you full access and a sign in my Minecraft worlds.
  • The Lord/Lady tier is for those who are ready to take on a leadership role for a pledge of $25 a month. You will have full access and a sign in my Minecraft worlds.
  • The Duke/Duchess tier is for my greatest benefactors, a pledge of $150 a month. In addition to full access and a sign in my Minecraft worlds, you will also be granted permission to post go-live announcements in our Discord.

Yes, that is right! I have also created a new Discord server. All subjects, no matter their station, are welcome to join. Let us build a community, a great empire if you will, where we can share our common interests.

I am greatly looking forward to this new era of Swagnilla Ice. Your support, no matter the level, is what allows me to continue building this kingdom. Thank you for being a part of this community. I am proud to be your content creating king, but I am even more proud to be a loyal subject of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.

An Update on How the Northern Lights Tier is Awarded

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Hello everyone! I have an important update about the Northern Lights Tier, the rarest membership tier handed out once a year to as many as two members, but as few as zero can happen as well. I am making a small change to the eligibility process to make sure it is as fair and consistent as possible for everyone.

To be eligible for consideration for the Northern Lights Tier, new members must have an activated account by January 1st of the year the award is handed out. This new deadline allows me to fairly consider all eligible members, as everyone will have at least five months of activity in the Swagnilla Ice community before the award or lack of awarding it is announced on June 1st.

How It Works: Examples

To make this clear, here are a couple of examples:

  • Alice registers for a free membership on November 25, 2025 and activates it two days later. Because her registration and activation occurred before the January 1, 2026 deadline, she is eligible to be a candidate for the Northern Lights Tier awarded on June 1, 2026 and going forward. This eligibility does not guarantee a spot, but merely grants her the chance.
  • Bob registers for a free membership on January 15, 2026 and activates it the same day. Because his registration was after the deadline, he is not eligible to be a candidate that year. However, he will be considered for the Northern Lights Tier awarded on June 1, 2027 and going forward.

This change is the only one to the Northern Lights Tier process. It remains a free and rare reward, and I hope this change encourages everyone to get involved sooner. If you are not a member yet and want to be considered for the next award, be sure to register and activate your account before the January 1st deadline.

Building for the Future: New Payments & A New Direction

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When I created Swagnilla Ice, I wanted to build a company that was accessible, forward-thinking, and ready to grow with my community. Today, I’m announcing two important changes that reflect that vision.

A New Way to Pay in the Swagnilla Ice Shop

I’m excited to introduce a new payment option for all digital goods and services in the Swagnilla Ice shop: cryptocurrency! I understand that not everyone uses or has access to traditional payment methods like PayPal. By offering a crypto payment option through my partner, Coinbase, I’m giving you more choice and making my shop more accessible to a global audience.

Here’s how it works:

  • When you choose to pay with crypto at checkout, the Coinbase system automatically handles the conversion. The price of your purchase, originally in Canadian Dollars (CAD), is automatically converted to the real-time equivalent in your chosen cryptocurrency.
  • I’ll accept any cryptocurrency that Coinbase supports.
  • All crypto payments are instantly and automatically converted to USDC, which keeps prices stable and protects Swagnilla Ice from market volatility.

A New Direction for Video Content

In my efforts to evolve and focus on the future, I’m making a change to my content strategy. I will no longer embed the “news and announcement” video series of the past on blog posts. Instead, I want to embed announcements directly into blog posts like this one to keep all of my news in a single, easy-to-find location. I’m still excited about creating future video content, but these will likely be singular posts rather than series based on a modpack. This will allow me to put more creative energy into other video projects for my future community.

A Promise to Our Swagnilla Ice Community: Maintaining Control, Ensuring Quality

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Hey everyone,

I’m writing this post today to talk about something really important to me, and I believe, to all of you who are part of the Swagnilla Ice community.

Lately, there’s been a lot of discussion in the creator world about online channels being acquired by larger equity firms. As I’ve seen these conversations unfold, it’s made me think deeply about the future of Swagnilla Ice and what truly matters to us all.

And that’s why I want to make a clear promise to you: I will never sell Swagnilla Ice in a way that would cause me to lose creative control or quality control over our content.

What does this mean for you? It means that the unique voice, the dedication to quality, and the community-first approach you’ve come to expect from Swagnilla Ice will always remain our top priority. We won’t sacrifice the integrity of our content for external pressures. My vision for Swagnilla Ice has always been to create something special and authentic, and that vision is directly tied to being able to steer the ship and ensure every piece of content meets our standards.

This commitment extends to everything we do, from our free content to our member-exclusive experiences. Our Free Member, Tip Jar Member, and Full Member tiers exist because we want to offer various ways to engage with Swagnilla Ice, all while maintaining the high quality you deserve. And of course, the incredibly rare Northern Lights Tier is a testament to the special bond we share with our most dedicated community members.

This promise is about safeguarding the heart of Swagnilla Ice. It’s about ensuring that we continue to grow and evolve on our own terms, always with your experience and our shared passion at the forefront.

Thank you for being such an incredible community. Your support is what makes all of this possible, and I’m excited for everything we’ll continue to build together.

Consider becoming a member today (it’s completely free with optional paid upgrades) and let me know in the comments what you think about this!

Factorio Update: Season 1, Episode 30 Live!

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I’ve embedded up to episode 30 of Swag Plays Factorio Season 1 right here on Swagnilla Ice! I’ll be adding more next weekend, and potentially Monday or Tuesday. Just a heads-up that my work shifts (and ability to update) then are entirely dependent on good weather keeping the roads clear for our backfill trucks. I’m taking a break from embedding for today to prevent burnout, but if the road conditions aren’t good enough, I can then work to embed more videos here, so you won’t have to go look for them on YouTube.