Asha Ence 🔜 PAXU

Just a cozy forest creature, wandering the Wilder and crafting stories from moss and steel. Ennie Nominated #TTRPG Designer, apparently. Sometimes professional #GameMaster, #VarietyStreamer, & game reviewer. Eats everything (#weightlifter #foodie). Naps almost daily (#spoonie #migraine). https://www.lintr.ee/ashaence

[probablybadrpgideas]

Incorporate real life. Wizards have to be researching something or learning a language or translating something. Druids have a garden or join an animal shelter. Rangers have to regularly go on long hikes, learn survival skills and go to sport ranges. Fighting classes have to learn whatever martial arts fits their character most. Warlocks have to network constantly. Et cetera. Everyone’s character levels up only as the player reaches milestones in their IRL tasks

[probablybadrpgideas]

Bad Signs In A New RPG Rulebook

It quickly becomes clear the "What Is An RPG?" section at the front isn't intended as informative but is in fact a genuine question, complete with a number to call if you know the answer.

All the art is AI-Generated. You can tell this from subtle clues like the composition, blurry details and the fact that rather than anything to do with the game they're images of humans being shot with lasers labelled "DIE MEATBAGS DIE"

"What you need to play" is dice, paper, friends, imagination, cards, a roulette table, masks of your characters, desecrated holy objects from at least a dozen religions, a box full of nerdy snakes, a b-tier youtube celebrity and something they only refer to as "the tit-ripper 9000" .

The character creation section seems to be a guide on how to use the Pinkertons to enforce game copyright that was put in by accident.

The example play game session is a transcript of your last gaming session, word for word.

There is a section on avoiding outdated offensive stereotypes in gaming and instead using more modern offensive stereotypes that better resonate with a contemporary audience.

It has a sidebar titled "How to avoid scheduling errors" that just says ";)"

The sample starting adventure is a QR code. When you scan it it downloads Suicide Squad Kill The Justice League but with your party in the place of the main characters. It's actually really technically impressive, but you wish they'd chosen a better game.

Regardless of the genre or tone, It's using the fucking 5e D&D system again. It's not a generic system, guys! I can handle the character sheet being rigged to detonate if written on but this is where I draw the line!

[lilaeleaf]

Some poor suffering gobs!!

[melgillman]

Here’s the new 24 hour comic I drew this year!  This one is called THE KING’S FOREST.  cw: blood, violence

[rayj4ck]

How the fuck did you make that last panel say so many things without using any words at all that’s so fucking cool.

[tabletopresources]

Image above found on pinterest

How about some more?

1d10 more plot hook ideas inspired by film

Groundhog Day. Escape a strange encounter that seems to keep restarting in slightly varied ways.

E.T. Help an otherworldly life form return to its own world/realm to prevent it from inadvertently causing escalating mass conflicts.

Jumper. Stop a powerful figure who is enacting a plan to control and prevent others from ever using their own gifts again.

Casino Royale. Covertly enter a high stakes contest to end a villainous plot conducted by one of its participants.

Spider-Man 3. Break free from the mind-altering influence of a powerful but consuming magic item and keep it from those who would enable it to achieve its dark purpose.

The Chronicles of Riddick. Stay out of the hands of an enemy looking to capture you long enough to bring down a genocidal tyrant.

The Dark Knight. End the crime spree of an agent of chaos whose elaborate plots risk vilifying the wrong people even if you succeed.

Watchmen/Civil War. Find out why heroes are being targeted and unite them in time before distrust and differences turns to violence between once-allied factions. 

I, Robot. Investigate a crime being blamed on an unlikely but far too convenient suspect before they and their entire faction face mob justice.

Apocalypto. Escape captivity, outrun and outfight an army of cultists long enough to disrupt their apocalyptic sacrificial rituals.

Care to reblog with a list of your own?

Let’s keep the community list going strong! And check out Tabletop Gaming Resources for more art, tips, and tools for your game!

[tabletopresources]

2 years later, here’s 10 more!

Inception (2010): Navigate through the dreamscape to extract vital information from a powerful dreamer whose subconscious defenses are becoming increasingly dangerous.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015): Lead a convoy across a wasteland, fending off marauders and rival factions to reach a rumored haven.

Get Out (2017): Investigate a seemingly idyllic community with a dark secret, where people are not what they appear to be, and uncover the truth before falling victim to sinister forces.

A Quiet Place (2018): Survive in an environment where sound attracts deadly creatures, while deciphering a mysterious signal that could either be salvation or a new, more insidious threat.

The Shape of Water (2017): Protect and assist a mysterious, misunderstood creature, possibly of magical origin, while navigating a web of political intrigue and supernatural dangers.

Black Panther (2018): Enter an isolationist, technologically advanced group, and prevent a usurper from using a powerful artifact to plunge a delicate social order into chaos.

Bird Box (2018): Travel a perilous path to a rumored sanctuary, all while evading entities that induce madness should you dare attempt to make use of a key ability you’ve taken for granted.

The Matrix Series (1999-2021): Uncover the truth behind a false reality, facing powerful adversaries who seek to maintain control over the minds of the populace.

Interstellar (2014): Embark on an intergalactic/interplanar journey to find a new habitable location for a group of endangered people, solving puzzles and challenges that distort space and time.

John Wick (2014): Retaliate against a criminal organization that has wronged you, navigating a shadowy underworld of assassins and mercenaries in a quest for vengeance.

[zetrystan]

Technically true.

[zetrystan]

He got the job.

[zetrystan]

He takes his job seriously.

[zetrystan]

Prof Rad over on youtube dubbed the Wolf Hunter comic (click here)! 

Go check it out and give them some support! :) (also the end killed me haha) ₍ᐢ•ﻌ•ᐢ₎

[zetrystan]

The farmer sheared the sheep, and it was used to make a gift for Wolf Hunter, so…

[zetrystan]

Wolf Hunter goes to the village markets.

[magentasnail]

served my duty as an autistic artist and made a bunch of autism creature reaction images

[mcdreary]

I think it’s time for us to all collectively return to the library. Get a card, go to a club meeting, volunteer on an off day, rent some equipment. You don’t even have to read a book. But since the digital world is rapidly becoming a subscription-only hellscape requiring a criminal amount of private personal information to use even CASUALLY, the library has become our last safe haven to just exist with information present and not have our labour or information exploited for money.

[adepticarus]

Map Tools for Affinity/Photoshop/Gimp/Etc.

I’m looking for additional free tools like the fantasy map brushes K. M. Alexander makes here.

More fantasy stuff would be fine, but the above site has that well-covered. Are there similar tools (preferably CC BY licensed) that can be used for sci-fi and other genres?

To be clear, I’m not looking for map generators. This should be something I have complete control of and can potentially use in printed TTRPGs.

[laurenwalshart]

Cute struggle noises can be heard at your feet along with a large thud. You look down to see this little guy at your feet struggling to pick up a half wrapped rock. Finally his makeshift arms of an arrow and sword pick it up and he offers it to you with pride.

“-huff- For you!”

—

Woubble has been watching all his new friends play a game where they roll tiny funny looking rocks. He searched the woods for hours until he found a similar big rock for his friends to roll. He wrapped it all by himself too!

As a small thank you for all the support over the past year, I’m giving all of Woubble’s fans this art as a digital download and coloring page! You can get it printed at your local printer or at home or give it as a gift to someone. You can find it here https://www.laurenwalshart.com/downloads

[thatonenewdungeonmaster]

[holywyrm]

Epithets aren't all evil

Here me out. I think there is a place for epithets in novel writing.

For those unfamiliar, epithets are when a person or thing is referred to by a quality they have, rather than their name or pronoun.

Examples:

"The older brother frowned, but the younger one laughed," versus, "James frowned, but Liam laughed."

"The red-haired girl sang," versus, "Annie sang."

"The King knelt before the peasant boy," versus, "King Kai knelt before him."

The problem most people have is that epithets rarely add anything to a story and they draw attention to themselves. And you should really only be drawing attention to important details, otherwise the writing starts to feel cheesy.

People tend to use epithets in one of two scenarios. Either we don't yet know the character's name (which is a valid and practical excuse), or the writer worries they've said the character's name too much and decides to switch things up (this is where the cringe happens. it's really common in fanfic).

However, I would like to argue for a third use of epithets -- a second acceptable use of epithets -- that everyone seems to forget. Because, when used in this manner, epithets are poetically delicious.

Consider, for instance, my favourite quote from Crime and Punishment:

“The candle-end was flickering out in the battered candlestick, dimly lighting up in the poverty stricken room the murderer and the harlot who had so strangely been reading together the eternal book.”

We know these character's names (and the name of the book). But changing this line to:

“The candle-end was flickering out in the battered candlestick, dimly lighting up in the poverty stricken room Raskolnikov and Sonja who had so strangely been reading together the Bible.”

it loses something, doesn't it?

Here, the three epithets are giving us symbolic context. Raskolnikov and Sonja reading the Bible is not a particularly important detail. But a murderer and a sex worker (two "sinners") reading the book of salvation together? That's some poetry, right there.

The epithets bring out the juxtaposition (contrast) that otherwise would not be evident and, in doing so, call attention to one of the book's central themes -- redemption.

The placement of this sentence is also worth noting. It is the last sentence of the chapter. Another issue people sometimes take with epithets is that they increase the narrative distance between the reader and the character, making them less relatable. Placing the epithet right at the end makes the reader feel like they are zooming out on these characters or looking down on them from above (symbolic given we're talking about the Bible, eh?). This give us a chance to put some distance between us and the characters, to reflect on the book and it's themes as a whole, to come to our own conclusions rather than having our judgement skewed by proximity to the characters.

When I first read it, it felt like taking a breath.

In conclusion, please

use epithets to show symbolic connections between characters, events, and objects.

use epithets sparingly, but use them for emphasis.

use epithets at moments where where it feels natural to increase the narrative distance, such as scene breaks and the beginning and endings of chapters.

do not use epithets unless they add something -- don't use them as a substitute for character's name if that name is already known.

Epithets aren't all evil.

[pixelartarchive]

The Bastillere, 64x64

[titanrpg]

take your self-promo to the next level (again, without being icky): michael scott's #1 sales tip for indie creators

indie creators rarely have large marketing budgets--or money for paid marketing at all. but you can learn to make sure whatever self-promo you do has maximum impact. the sales tech i'm gonna show you will not only make you better at highlighting what's truly special about your project, it can also make you immune to sales pitches (since you'll know how they work under the hood). let's get started!

there's a scene in the office i've wanted to talk about for a long time, and here on tumblr i have the space! it's the episode where michael and jim are co-managers and go on a sales call together:

Michael Scott: You should wear this watch. I will loan it to you. It is a Tankard. I highly recommend you wear that. Jim: No thanks. Michael Scott: They are into style. They are into appearance. We are selling success. Jim: ...and paper. Michael Scott: That's sorta secondary.

it gets played as a joke, but michael is right.

the product itself is secondary.

think about it from the perspective of the customer. you can buy paper pretty much anywhere. if every salesperson that comes into your office showcases the same kinds of products, you'll probably go with the lowest price.

the solution isn't to lower prices. most indie designers (myself included) could stand to charge MORE actually. the solution here is to elevate your project.

and the #1 way to elevate your project is to focus on the emotional benefit: how will someone FEEL when they play your game? that's what you're selling.

the FEELING someone gets with your project is paramount. that's how people decide to get their wallets out and pay for your Very Cool Thing. people do not buy things out of logic (very generally speaking). they buy with their feelings. here's an example.

let's say i wanna sell you on HEXFALL. here's the logical approach:

new school narrative-focused hexcrawl with modular hex tiles so you can add your own

every roll is 3d4, so it's easy to learn

gmless and everyone builds the story together

12 unique playbooks, including BLADEWING, MOTHERTHAWED, HORIZONCLAD, and OSTEOMANCER

zero prep required

this isn't bad honestly. it's specific, it's clear, it gets the job done. heck, i've written copy exactly like this for HEXFALL. if someone knows they like all these things, they'll give it a shot. but let's see an emotional approach:

gameplay feels like wanderhome meets interstellar

because every roll is 3d4, you can immerse yourself in the story without sweating mechanics

explore the existential phantasmagoria of the Rift, where all players can decide reality

the game provides everything you and your friends need to sit down and start playing immediately -- no gm or prep required

playbooks like the BLADEWING, MOTHERTHAWED, HORIZONCLAD, and OSTEOMANCER embody never-before-seen yet poignant archetypes for an electrifying roleplay experience

see how different you FEEL after each one? the first one sells a game. the second sells what it feels like to play.

you might have heard this idea framed as "features vs benefits" which i still find useful, but i wanted to drill down into the nuance a bit more. the logical approach above still translates features into benefits. that's why it's not bad. it totally works. but focusing on emotional benefits in the second bullet list makes for a more impactful pitch. the idea here is how to take your self-promo to the next level--again, without being scummy.

final takeaway: when promoting your indie project, focus on how it will FEEL for the person who buys it

good luck!

lex titanomachy rpg

some questions i imagine might come up

"can't I simply make a really good product?"

the problem with selling on quality is unfortunately, no non-essential thing sells itself. sure, maybe your project IS unique and IS literally the best in its class. but if you cannot get someone to download it and see that for themself, what difference does it make? word of mouth, sure, but if you're waiting for your thing to magically become popular, idk about that strategy friend.

"does learning sales make me a capitalist pig??"

no! learning how to sell is one way to seize the means of production for yourself, imo! the cool thing about being an indie creator is you are getting the full product of your own labor, instead of giving the majority to some leech. in my view, by learning how to sell better, you are essentially giving yourself a raise on your personal projects. no one else can give you that raise. plus, learning how to effectively but responsibly and respectfully promote your creative work is a good skill to have! just make sure you're paying collaborators and freelancers fairly!! i don't wanna see that $0.05/word shit out here

**if you use these techniques in a scummy way, however, people WILL ignore your projects. and i will be v mad at you. so use responsibly.**

[wildwoodsgames]

I’ve spent the last few months working on a new Powered by the Apocalypse game, mostly driven by my long-time love for Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings series and now revitalised by how feral I feel over the way that Pentiment reflects and expresses the power struggles and tension that underlay medieval history.

(but also I can’t deny it’s in part shaped by my disappointment that Game of Thrones doesn’t do anything interesting with a tone and a premise that’s pretty compelling—cynical medieval politics! a dynastic powderkeg! a grounded and grimy tone!).

Anyway, the other day I finally got the pitch in a place where I’m happy with it—direct, succinct, and (hopefully) evocative:

The Bitter Litany is a tragic Powered by the Apocalypse game of fantasy intrigue and hard choices. It tells stories about the inexorable force of history, the human cost of duty and ambition, and the bleakness of court politics.

Players take on the role of key figures in the court of a petty kingdom—princes and assassins, advisors and priests—and explore their secret griefs, their fraught relationships, and the fragile dreams of a brighter future that they cradle tight against the storm.

As the years crash upon them like waves, we play to find out what they will cling to amidst the current of history, what tragedies will claim their lives and legacies, and who will follow them in this bitter litany.

[acousticmalta]

Every time I see one of these oc templates I can’t help myself 😔

Template by @/soupsizedocean on twitter

[soundbytten]

Could i get the blank template for this?

[callmecopper]

[itscolossal]

Las Vegas-based artist and filmmaker Jessica Oreck explores the act of collecting and the experience of making nostalgic connections with the objects we encounter. In Colossal’s latest interview Oreck about her artistic process, which you can watch now: 

Jessica Oreck of the Office of Collecting & Design On Her Enormous Museum of Miniatures