Oh dang, this gets at what I love about system theory. Lacking direct access to reality, we run constant speculative/ideological simulations of it in our heads and iterate each time it proves us wrong. Sims are fun because the ways they fail are our only direct contact with reality.
Misha
there's another episode of DEAD LETTERS out today! this one is about the GLOG, the Goblin Laws of Gaming, the biggest, weirdest, and coolest branch of the OSR. we cover blogging, 3.5, bizarro skill systems, Delta templates, and more. give it a listen! open.spotify.com/episode/60GT...
Think about GWTWOD a lot
I'm collecting data on how weird we are.
forms.gle/ric62Zm5gwKL...
shock! awe! bedlam! mayhem! it's the latest episode of DEAD LETTERS, about Magpie Games' AVATAR LEGENDS: THE ROLEPLAYING GAME! we discuss the challenges of licensed adaptations, expectations of play, product lines, and contrived anti-bender prisons. come listen! open.spotify.com/episode/650n...
Exciting new project from @mekhami.bsky.social for making a searchable tagged database of TTRPGs. Mekhami's own words are tagged below, but consider adding your own games (or your favorites) if you have time!
www.rpgbase.net
"What's that?" I hear you ask. "Why," I say, "it's the new DEAD LETTERS about Jay Dragon's EXPRESSIONIST GAME MANIFESTO!" we discuss 20th C. art movements, struggle, rejecting rules, ~Metaphor for the Queer Experience~, subversion paradoxes, and more! come listen! open.spotify.com/episode/68SY...
I want to see how different the TTRPG blogosphere is from DungeonTube.
Three questions:
- What games are you running?
- What games are you playing in?
- What game do you most want to play next?
If y...
very good post! extremely insightful and actionable. if you like my "tangible tips" posts about editing, you will find lots of useful ideas here
I wrote a SIMULATIONIST'S MANIFESTO for #manifestojam2026
ptychomancer.itch.io/simulationis...
Valeria Loves
new DEAD LETTERS episode! this time, it's the vast, legendary, landmark WOLVES UPON THE COAST, written by that one bald guy! we talk about the Adventure Writing Trust Horizon, reading, horses with unhinged jaws, poetic monster manuals, legwork, and the GM as medium! open.spotify.com/episode/2Z1e...
Now that the discourse has died down, and my birding has lessened, I want to talk about lists in rpgs.
I like what both sides of the debate make. So, like everything else, "good" isn't about which side you choose but how you execute the idea. If you choose to use lists, use them well.
Closing out my series on key design by making a list of rules for myself to follow when writing modules, then testing it by rewriting a one page dungeon I made recently. The goal: retain all the strengths of bullet points/formatting with thoughtful use of plain text structuring. It went really well!
Alright, last time I read a bunch of keys from various modules and looked at what types of info they included and how they presented it. I...
