I've visited
Stoper's Patreon. There are some things that anyone can read, the last blog post for example. Then I found this in the
You must be registered to see the links
. Can anyone confirm it's always been there? This changes a lot in my opinion. He practically says: JOHN is free, updates are slow, pay only if you are a rich benefactor and only at releases.

Has it always been free for all, or is it a recent change?
[bold is mine]
The game is completely free. But there is a short delay between the patrons-only and the public releases. So basically, all the financial support is completely optional. If you don’t have the money, or think someone else deserves your support, you can wait several days and still enjoy (hopefully) each update of the game.
My goal is to have an update for Hard News every 2-3 months, with one of the bonus stories occasionally between the game updates. Although lately I haven't been able to keep up with that schedule. So if you want to support only for solid content, wait for a release and then jump in.
Well, that seems fair to me.
Do you want to give me money? Fine, but you have been warned.