UPDATE: This playthrough used an old version of the Overpowered rules. We hope you still enjoy it.
Player notes are in italics. Pirate Borg is absolutely GORGEOUS and dripping with atmosphere. After reading it I could barely wait to explore the setting using my solo game. Let’s see how it goes!
Frigid.Procyon.11 is different than other explorer bots. While his brothers and sisters search for gold, creatures, and new horizons, Procyon seeks ART.
Of course, some forms of art are valuable treasures, but not all treasures are art. His programming doesn’t disciminate, forcing Procyon to rise above his hardware limitations.
Too bad he was assigned to explore a region with ZERO artistic potential. Procyon rests atop the church steeple of Coral Town, looking down with disdain upon the dirty streets and even dirtier denizens.
He is equipped with an experimental teleporter, allowing him to jump to anywhere he can see, but he has to rest for a few moments between each jump. He’s spent the last day or two carefully exploring the town, getting more and more disgusted with each new discovery.
His appearance is similar to a cannonball, dark and circular shell with a matte pitted surface. He has managed to avoid being seen so far, and thanks to his translator he’s learned of some kind of event happening in the church tonight.
Procyon teleports to one of the many nooks and crannies along the church ceiling, giving him a good vew of the service.
Father Wallace has managed to gather several dozen townspeople for some kind of emergency meeting. The Abbot raises his hands, and everyone quiets down.
“My children! Thank you for coming. It is in these dark times we must cling to one another and stand firm against the forces of darkness! Let us read from…”
After a length sermon, several townsfolk get up to leave and a short fat aristocrat rushes up to the pulpit.
“Thank you, Father, for that rousing encouragement! If I may make a quick announcement.” Folks pause and wait to here what the well-dressed man has to say.
“As your Governor, I have watched over you and kept our city safe from a myriad of threats! With God’s help, of course. And as his represented authority, I now beg for your help. My daughter, Veronique, has been missing for over a day.”
Some murmers spread throughout the church. The Governer lets the tension build, and then announces, “As a demonstration of my thanks, whoever brings her back shall be rewarded 1000 silver! I’ve no doubt Veronique herself will be extremely grateful as well, immortalizing her hero in one of her talented paintings!”
The people are obviously more moved by the promise of silver, but Procyon perks up at the mention of a painting.
“Please spread the word to any who might be able to find her” the Governor finishes, “before it’s too late!” He storms down the aisle and out the door. Most people follow, and Procyon teleports away as the Abbot attempts to preach to an emptying room.
Procyon decides to follow the Governor, see if he can find any clues about the location of his missing daughter.
It’s tricky; the Governer stops by a few more town centers to give a similar speech, offering various rewards for anyone who can find his lost daughter. After each speech he storms off towards the next location.
CLAUDE BARLETTE (THE GOVERNOR): HP 25 Morale 11 Necro-Aura -d4
▶ Death Touch: d10 + Shriveling spell
▶ Shriveling Spell: Touch drains all stats by 1 for d20 hours. Regain d6 HP.
▶ Levitate: Fly 60’ a turn.
▶ Anti-Magic: Any PC attempting to use a Relic or Ritual against him must first test Spirit DR16.
I, the player, know that the Govenor is a necromancer and is responsible for the island’s curse. I’m hoping to reveal that to Procyon in a fun way at the lighthouse.
Procyon keeps teleporting to dark corners nad staying out of sight. Eventually the Governor storms out of Coral Town towards the Lighthouse.
The Governor mutters something in a strange tone and yanks open the door. He disappears inside and Procyon sees the door seal with some kind of magical sigil. Not getting in that way.
Procyon teleports up to the top of the lighthouse balcony. The place is a mess! The beacon has been smashed, the balcony is open to the elements and covered in seagull droppings.
As Procyon turns to look down the ruined staircase, something lands on his shell. He takes a feather and analyzes the creature. Just a simple seagull. It should–
Then another lands nearby. And another. And another. They all tilt their heads at the same time and begin pecking and pulling at his shiny metal bits. It’s overwhelming.
4 Scavenging Seagulls: HP 4 Morale 6 Metallic feathers -d2
Claws d4
Bite d4 (1-in-4 risk of infection)
The seagulls get agitated, dropping some of the other bits and bobs they had been holding.
In this instance I re-arranged the order of dice, letting Procyon obtain some samples and scan some treasure so he could resist the attacks. Up to you if this counts as cheating or not!
UPDATE: This situation encouraged me to tweak the rule and allow players to accumulate a negative Overpower balance so they can get past difficult encounters like this one. If I were playing it again, I would have definitely had negative Overpower during this part.
Frustrated, the seagulls disperse, allowing Procyon to teleport down the stairs.
Procyon carefully teleports to a rafter overlooking the lighthouse quarters. It’s been abandoned for years; beds and tables covered in dust. Procyon waits for his teleporter to recharge as the sun sets below the horizon.
A ghostly figure manifests in the room. The old spector strokes his beard and puts the finishes touches on a journal entry.
Ghost: HP 7 Morale 7 No Armor
▶ Cutlass: d6
Ethereal. Can , can be invisible until it attacks, then DR 14 to hit.
“Are ye satisfied? Can not a man write his memoirs in peace? BEGONE!”
Procyon speaks in an equally unsettling voice: “If ye harbor the Governor, surely one more is no trouble.”
The ghost laughs. “That creature is nay human, and he’s nay me guest. If not for his kind daughter, I’d be absorbed into his power.”
Procyon perks up. “You’ve seen his daughter? Where? When?”
The ghost sits back down, looking thoughtful. “The girl came to paint atop the balcony, her father, the sage, accompanied her. I made the mistake of threatening them, but the sage overwhelmed me. Before I could be destroyed, the girl pleaded my case, and I was freed. The Governor and his daughter argued for a time and eventually she left, declaring that the views were likely better at the castle.”
His voice cracks a bit. “I fear I’ve been the cause of yet another lost daughter. Dammit it all.” The ghost begins to pace angrily.
Procyon lights up at the information. “Thank you for the information. I will leave you.” But before he can teleport away, the ghost reaches out a hand. “Please”, the old man pleads, “take me with you. It’s not safe for me here, not while the Governor keeps visiting. My soul is bonded to a purple crystal hidden in the stove.”
Procyon considers, and then uses his force projector to open the stove and retrieve the crystal. “Very well. I will find a safer place to store your crystal.” The ghost smiles a sad smile and fades away.
Procyon teleports across the island, making his way to Skeleton Point castle. The old ghost remains alert within the crystal, occasionally dropping bits of advice.
“Are ye daft? Should we not await the sunrise to explore this fortress? At night this place is crawling with skeletons.”
Procyon is impatient however, choosing to ignore the ghost’s warning. Surely his devices will keep him safe. No need to waste any more time in this miserable place.
The courtyard looks like the result of a disgusting slaughter. Dozens of skeletons impaled on spikes wiggle and writhe, unable to escape their strange prisons. A few manage to twist free and shamble towards Procyon.
3 Skeletons: HP 5 Morale 8 No Armor
Grave Breath d2
Dagger d4
Small Axe d6
His sleep darts won’t do any good here. Instead, Procyon relies one old-fashioned physics.
There are dozens of skeletons here, and Procyon doesn’t care to sample them all; so he won’t benefit from clearing the area.
Procyon sees a path through the portcullis, and teleports into the foyer.
Its dusty, dreary, and…BEAUTIFUL! A massive painting of a stormy mountain range, painted with haunted brush strokes and a deep sense of…frustration mixed with awe. Procyon doesn’t dare to hope that this represents the talents of Veronique. If so, he’s even more motivated to find her.
Procyon passes through the kitchen and up the stairs to the library.
The walls are covered in thick metal bookshelves. Before Procyon can peruse the shelves, clanking footsteps come from the stairs.
“Welcome, tiny metal shell, to my humble home. I hope my servants have greeted you properly and made you feel welcome.”
A massive skeleton in conquistador armor enters the room. It flourishes its cape, revealing a well-kept sword sheathed at its side. “As your host, I look forward to welcoming you personally.”
THE BARON: HP 20 Morale - Plate -d6
▶ Expert Rapier: d10
▶ Scream of Death: All who hear it test Presence DR12 or take d6.
▶ Cursed: If killed, he reforms at dawn in the crypt.
▶ Incorporeal during the day.
Lacking weapons to use against this foe, Procyon turns himself into a weapon. He extends his shell, and uses the force projector to turn himself into a cannonball. Battering the Baron over and over, eventually the bones shatter and fall into a heap.
A subtle, echoing laugh echoes around the room. “This isn’t over, little cannonball!”
Procyon scans a few books, and time passes more quickly than he expected.
Procyon quickly teleports up the steps as sunlight streams into the room. Hopefully he isn’t too late to track down Veronique.
Atop the tower is a small room. Someone has taken advantage of the incredible view and transformed the room into a small art studio. Paints, easels, a few simple chairs, and more fill the space.
Procyon almost doesn’t notice the figure leaning against the wall, looking out the window through a telescope.
She finishes her examination of a distant jungle ridge and turns around, appearing startled to see a small glowing cannonball resting on her desk. “Hello? Is this a gift from my beloved?”
Procyon warms up his translator. “Are you Veronique? Your father is worried about you.”
Her expression sours. “Ugh, I don’t know what you are litte sphere, but if my father sent you, then we have nothing else to say. Leave. Now. Before my lord Baron returns and chops you into tiny pieces.”
Procyon tries to soften his synthetic modulator. “I’m afraid I was forced to destroy the Baron in combat. He was very…aggressive.”
She shook her head, and wags her finger. “He’ll be back, and this time he’ll use more than his sword. You had better leave while you can.”
Procyong responds quickly. “In truth, I am here for you. That painting in the lobby…did you make it?”
She looks a little confused. “Yes. What of it?”
“It’s beautiful! The composition is focused, deliberate, but the image is vague and dreamlike. I don’t know how such precise brushstrokes can create such an impression. I would be honored to observe your technique.”
Veronique is amused. “I don’t know if–”
With a loud BOOM the door slams open and a handsome ghost barges inside. He sports a conquistador’s robes, but bears little resemblence to the skeletal monster from the library. “YOU dare to corner my beloved!” the figure bellows, thrusting his hands forward and emitting a scream of energy.
The crystal Procyon was carrying, however, doesn’t fare as well. The ghostly old lighthouse keeper materalizes, thrashing in pain, he knocks over a few paintings.
Veronique steps up to the Baron’s ghost. “Peace, my love. This little ball and I were merely talking. Please, don’t disturb the serenity of my studio. I grew up with an angry man controlling my life, and I will not remain with one.”
The Baron lowers his accusing finger. “Are you hurt?” he asks, taking Veronique into a protective embrace. “No, my dearest, everything is alright”, she reassures him.
A gasp of pain from the fallen lighthouse keeper breaks the tension. “Oh no!” Veronique gasps, “Is he okay?”
Procyon examines the crystal, noticing the many cracks within it. “His crystal is damaged. I don’t know how to stabilize him.”
Veronique and the Baron kneel before the old man. The Baron looks at Veronique, and, nodding, makes a promise. “I am sorry for my outburst. You did my no harm and I have killed you. Upon my honor, make any request of me and it shall be done.”
The old lighthouse keeper pulls out his journal from within a coat pocket. “Please.” His voice begins to fade. “I drove my daughter away and this regret has consumed me. Tell her my story. Tell her…I’m sorry.” With a last wavering cough, the ghostly form fades into nothing.
Over the next few weeks Procyon helps the Baron and Veronique keep their promise to the lighthouse keeper.
Veronique paints a beautiful image of the lighthouse as it once was; featuring a loving father and his daughter playing near the shore.
The Baron uses a series of complex arcane rituals to locate the old man’s daughter. Looks like she’s in a distant land, struggling with her own regret and anger towards her father.
Lastly, Procyon reluctantly agrees to deliver the journal, the painting, and the story of what happened to the daughter. At least he won’t have to return to this island. Perhaps this new land will be a little more enlightened?
Even so, Procyon doubts he’ll ever meet another artist as talented, warm, and haunted as Veronique. Haunted in the most beautiful possible way.
Final Score: 35 Overpower.
]]>UPDATE: This playthrough used an old version of the Overpowered rules. We hope you still enjoy it.
Player notes are in italics. This zine has been on my shelf for a while, and I’ve been itching to explore the beautiful setting. This is my first time testing Overpowered with a more open-ended adventure, rather than a dungeon crawl. We’ll see how it goes.
After failing in their previous mission, False.Castor.1 is dredged up from the Astral Sea. After being dried out, repair, and recharged, Castor boots up.
The first thing she sees is a large man with an eyepatch and horns. He’s grinning in a slightly smug way. “I knew it!” he cries, and slams his fists down on the table. “I knew you was worth the investment. My smith says you’ve even got a soul of some kind.”
He leans down to look upon Castor’s small frame. “You owe me. Big time.”
Castor squirts a mist of pheromones directly into the large man’s face.
Palio One Eye (Onauk): AC 6 [13], HD 4 (15hp), Att 1 × axe (1d8 + 2), THAC0 18 [1], MV 120’ (40’), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (1), ML 8, AL Chaotic, XP 75, NA 0 (1), TT D
The man’s grin softens a bit, “You know…somehow I feel like I can trust you.” He walks back behind the bar. “Make yourself at home. Tonight I’ve got a job I could use some help with.” And he returns to doing a few chores and tidying up the tavern.
Castor rolls up next to him and extends a small needle, poking in his side. He spins around, and comes face to face with a version of himself.
He laughs, “Neat trick. You’ll be very hand indeed!” Castor spends an hour or two exploring the tavern and scanning items.
After closing up, Palio leads Castor down a few side streets towards the warehouse. “Oh! Please don’t look like me any more. It could confuse some folks.” Castor obliges with a soft beep and appears as a normal one-wheeled explorer bot.
He unlocks the door with his key and tells Cator of his troubles. “Someone or something is stealing my goods. I’ve tried replacing the locks, posting guards, nothing matters. I figure a mechanical soul such as yourself could keep a better eye on this than half-drunk guards. Stay inside and keep watch over the goods. I’ll check in on you tomorrow morning.”
With that he closes he warehouse door and locks Castor inside. Castor immediately sets about scanning and exploring the large building.
It was located on an out-of-place shelf. After bumping into the shelf, Castor is attacked by 5 Raz!
Raz: small vermin with the bodies and tails of rats, the heads of lizards, and the arms and hands of monkeys. AC 7 [12], HD 1/2 (2hp), Att 1 x bite (1d3 + paralysis), THAC0 19 [0], MV 120’ (40’) / 60’ (20’) swimming, SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (1), ML 8, AL Any, XP 5, NA 3d6 (3d10), TT C
Castor, now with the appearance of a dirty raz, picks up some food and follows them back through their secret entrance behind the shelves. The other raz are convinced that she’s one of them, as she descends down the steps.
Well, I guess we’re going to do a dungeon crawl after all!
At the bottom of the staircase is a cold storage room with more food and alcohol.
Castor follows the other raz as they approach a locked door. The lead raz glows with a strange energy, and the door unlocks itself and opens up. Castor is confused but curious; do these creatures possess some magical ability? She didn’t detect anything like that before…
The raz continue down the runnel, crawling right under a tripwire. Although Castor appears as a small raz, she’s a little taller than 4 inches, and has to carefully hunch down to roll under the wire.
This wire only lists a duration of paralysis (1d8 hours) so we’ll use that at the Stat.
The door into the room at the end of the tunnel is wedged open, allowing castor and the raz to walk right inside.
A dirty, smelly man towers over a bunch of raz swirling around him. He laughs maniacally, pointing to the new arrivals. “Well done, my children! We’ll be eating well tonight, haha!” He does a little dance and claps his hands together.
Thirkell, a mad mage. AC 9 [10], HD 1** (4hp), Att 1 x dagger (1d4) or 1 x spell, THAC0 19 [0], MV 120’ (40’), SV D13 W14 P13 B16 S15 (MU1), ML 7, AL Chaotic, XP 16, NA 1, TT None
With a wave of his hand he manifests a fuzzy image of Palio looking disheartened over the missing supplies. “Soon, my ol friend, your bar will run dry and you’ll be forced to move on. And you’ll never even know it was me who ruined you.”
He turns a suspicious eye towards Castor. “Do you bring home a new friend, my children? This one smells…clean. Too clean.”
Castor quickly evaluates her options:
Retreat and tell Palio? This seems like the safest option. Too many unknowns to stick around.
Castor zips back to the staircase, carefully hops up the steps, and runs right into Palio. “Oh ho! There you are. Did you get lost or—”
Castor interrupts him with a series of beeps and warbles. She struggles to communicate what she saw, and then remembers the sample she took. Palio jumps back when she suddenly appears as the mage.
“Thirkell! Wow I did not expect to see him again. I guess he’s still holding that grudge…” Palio turns and storms back to the Slipstream Bar. He grabs hold of a massive spear and starts strapping on some old but well-kept armor. “This is gonna be…a little dangerous. You stay here while I go take care of Thirkell. Try to tidy up whlie I’m gone. You still owe me!”
Before Castor can object, Palio storms out into the night. She spends a few hours cleaning the room, scanning some final tidbits, and is just getting bored when there’s a sudden pounding on the door.
A male human and a short aldhelsi with pale skin and long silver hair burst through the door, nearly flattening Castor against the wall.
The are excitedly babbling about a “feather too small”, “sneaky sphinx”, and “another round of drinks”.
It’s almost 30 minutes of drinking and excited conversation before the two men look around the room and realize that Palio isn’t there. “Palio? You here? We found your feather-beast!”
Castor explains, once again taking the appearance of Palio and then the appearance of the mad mage; as if they are fighting one another. “Holy skiff! He’s finally gone to settle that score. Good for him.” the shorter one says. The taller human looks disappointed, “But we needed someone quick to help us catch the feather-beast. You’re too short, and I’m too drunk.”
They both look down at Castor. “Wanna help us catch a feather-beast, little techbot?” Castor warbles affirmatively. A mumbling cheer goes up from the two men and they stumble out of the tavern excitedly talking over one another.
Human: “I’ve been working on a tune to lure the beast, but—” Aldhelsi: “Of course I’ve caught glimpses of it, stealing me—” Human: “—missing a percussion element, and the sound doesn’t carry—” Aldhelsi: “—up in the crows nest, keeps stealing whatever isn’t—”
Eventually Castor understands what is happening. Some kind of “feather-beast” is prowling around the docs, stealing items. The human, named Lamorak, has found a tune that attracts the creature, and Erntar, the shorter one, identified it as a sphinx.
Lamorak settles down on the last pier and begins to pluck a pleasant melody. “I’m still missing some accampaniment” Lamorak mumbles. “Help me out?”
Castor tries to match the melody with some chirps, beeps, and boops.
A soft purring can be heard from the crows nest of a nearby ship. Little wings peek out from behind the mast and a tail sways to the beat of the music.
Sphinx: AC 9 [10], HD 4* (18hp), Att 2 × claw (1d6), 1 × bite (1d4), THAC0 16 [+3], MV 120’ (40’) / 180’ (60’) flying, SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14 (4), ML 4, AL Neutral, XP 125, NA 0 (1), TT None
Erntar tries to slowly creep up the rigging, but the sphinx hears him and takes off bounding down the pier. Castor takes off after the creature, igniting his boosters to keep up.
I was hoping for a speed stat or dexterity. Instead, I’ll take the 180’ move speed, divide by 10, and use that (18).
Eventually the sphinx bounds into a ship parked at the end of the pier. Castor flares the jet boosters and lands right in the middle of the deck.
3 racoon-like children are tossing stolen goods back and forth, including a few drinks from Palio’s bar. The sphinx joins the game and Castor is unsure how to proceed.
Belsorriso Child: AC 9 [10], HD 1* (4hp), Att 2 × claw (1d4), charming grin, THAC0 19 [0], MV 120’ (40’), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (1), ML 5, AL Chaotic, XP 13, NA 1 (1d6), TT C
She decides to try and end the game by shooting nets at all 4 of the children. You can’t fault her for being direct.
A few minutes later a big mama raccoon comes storming up to the deck. She scolds the children for damaging the merchandise and apologizes to Castor. “Take whatever is yours, so long as you don’t tell anyone about this.” Castor warbles in a friendly way, picking up a beautiful crystal bottle of brandy.
She takes a few minute sto scan the entire stock, earning a bunch of power dice:
Castor wheels the bottle back to Lamorak and Erntar. “Guess the creature got away, huh? Oh well. At least you found a shiny bottle!” Erntar plucks the cork and takes a sniff, “OHHHHhhhhh, this is top quality stuff…maybe we should enjoy it here and keep this a secret from Palio.”
The two men spend the rest of the evening drinking and laughing and singing. Castor accompanies them back to the bar and listens to the strange beings slowly descend into sleep.
Palio returns as the sun is rising. His spear is bloody, and he is carrying a huge crate of recovered supplies. “Looks like you made some friends!” he smiles and motions to the two sleeping men. “And they found a bottle of something.” Palio reaches for the empty crystal bottle and sniffs the cork.
His eyes get wide and he looks at Castor. “What the heck happened last night?”
Castor gives a coy warble and rolls into the backroom. Maybe she’ll stick around here for a while, see what else there is to explore in this strange and wonderful place.
]]>UPDATE: This playthrough used an old version of the Overpowered rules. We hope you still enjoy it.
Orbiting a green-blue planet, Ancient.Ceylon.6 is activated. His matte-black shell conceals a host of deadly weaponry that he’ll soon unleash upon…wait. His weapons. Gone. All gone. A final message from his creators instills the following command: “Learn”.
Fine. Ceylon can learn. He’ll show them all and be the best damn explorer the other bots have ever scanned. With reluctance he descends towards the planet to…learn. Ugh.
Player notes will be in italics. Sepulchre of the Seven is a beautiful adventure by HexaGnome. Legends and myth clash with forgotten dreams in an emotional roller coaster. We’ll see how much that Ceylon picks up on as he speedruns through this module.
Ceylon is picking up a dim source of “magic”, or something giving off spectral energy. Several thin spiny legs carry him forward, his river-stone shape is difficult to notice in the dark of night.
3 Kobold hunters. AC 7 [12], HD 1/2 (4HP), Att 1 × nailfitted clubs (1d4) or 1 x blowguns (1d2 + poison) or 1 x molotov (bodyguards), THAC0 19 [0], MV 60’ (20’), SV D14 W15 P16 B17 S18 (NH), ML 8, AL Chaotic
Ceylon decides this is his first opportunity to “learn”. He activates the stun prod and zaps all three of them.
After snipping off a bit of hair, he scans the small pile of meager belongings. Faint tracks lead further into the cave where they came from.
Ceylon skitters inside, noting the 2 kobolds playing some kind of gambling game, the arrow slits, the north door, the statue, and the well.
Ceylon decides to explore a bit first before trying to stun the kobolds. Especially if someone is watching through the keyholes. He climbs along the roof of the cavern, essentially invisible. The doors to rooms 3, 4, and 5 are locked. Damn. He’ll have to make a little noise anyway. With a resigned warble he readies his stunner again.
No one has been alerted yet. Ceylon crawls over to the door leading to room 3, and prepares to enter.
Ceylon nudges the door open just wide enough to slip through. However the door makes a loud CLICK as it shuts behind him and a surprised grunt comes from behind an arrow slit. A molotov cocktails follows soon after and the room is quickly ablaze.
Firetrap: When the door closes: Kobolds throw a bundle of 5 molotovs through each arrow slit (save vs petrification, 2d8 damage).
Whenever a stat has a range like “2d8 damage” I prefer to choose the highest possible value. In this case, 16.
Ceylon is forced to expand his impenetrable shell while he scans for an escape route. After a few moments he spots the secret door and makes a beeline fore it. The stone door is barred on the other side, but Ceylon’s drill can tunnel through almost anything. He strengthens them again, carving a small tunnel to the other side, escaping the flames and arriving in a new area.
The stone door doesn’t have any stats, so I just use 7 as the Stat value.
Ceylon quickly finds the kobold who threw the molotov cocktail at him. He stuns the kobold with a slightly higher stun setting, purely out of spite. Then reluctantly takes a sample and continues to explore the rest of the room.
Supply crates: 3,500 cp ◆ emerald (350 gp) ◆ 2 molotovs ◆ rope (50’) ◆ saddlebags ◆ carpenter tools ◆ 2 gold teeth (10 gp) ◆ 6 Humansbane arrows (2d6 damage against humans) ◆ a broken shortbow
Jackpot. Here’s some treasure with dubious artistic value. Still counts as “learning”!
A handful of treasure is purposefully vague, so go with your gut. In this case, I think the emerald counts as 1 handful, the copper pieces count as 3 handfuls, and the rest count as another 2 handfuls.
Ceylon passes by a kobold cook minding his own business. No need for a sample here; he’s seen enough kobolds. Ceylon passes through one of the drainage holes and drills through the wooden door into room 6.
If I had stunned that last kobold cook I would have gotten the completion bonus, but I figure Ceylon is ready to move on. He might start skipping rooms more liberally from now on.
The floor is covered in a gross sticky substance. Ceylon walks up to the edge, nervous. If that stuff got into his shell…ugh.
Blue-black substance (covering the entire floor). Sticks to everything. Save vs paralysis every 10’ or become stuck. Highly flammable. Crossing with a torch: 1-in-20 chance per round of setting the room alight.
The floor trap doesn’t have a specific Stat, so we just use 7 again.
Ceylon prepares for gross goo and rushes to the end of the room, quickly scanning some fallen skeletons before darting into a side passage.
This alcove was a mistake. A rusty iron door blocks the way. Ceylon drills a hole into it and rushes in only to get swallowed by an ooze monster.
1 Grey Ooze: AC 8 [11], HD 3* (13hp), Att 1 × touch (2d8), THAC0 17 [+2], MV 10’ (3’), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (2), ML 12, AL Neutral, XP 50. Energy immunity: Unharmed by cold or fire. Swallowed scattered diamonds (worth 2,100 gp).
Ceylon uses his stunner, but they it doesn’t have much effect. This creature isn’t bothered by energy. Ceylon quickly powers his shell and looks for a way out. He almost forgets to scan the beautiful diamonds embadded in this things “flesh”. He moves his legs quickly, almost swimming out of the ooze’s body. Eventually he bursts out from it’s “stomach” and quickly darts back into the previous room. Better gross goop than live ooze.
The shield won’t help him deal or withstand damage from this creature. So instead Ceylon will outrun it. It has a move speed of 10, so he spends enough power to beat that. I also decide this counts as a strong creature, especially since it resists Ceylon’s stunner weapon.
Ceylon scans the murals, but doesn’t really pay much attention. He continues forward and takes a right, heading towards a large chamber.
These aren’t exactly a handful of treasure, but they should count for something.
Ceylon is immediately met with a thick locked door. Just before he drills a hole through it, he notices the detailed carvings and silver inlay. He scans the door first and THEN drills an ugly hole through it.
Inside is a large chamber lined with alcoves. Each alcove has a few skeletons huddled within. The chamber is LITTERED with treasure.
8 silver candelabras (5’ tall, between alcoves, 400 gp each). Seven huge statues carved from Blue Amber. Each skeleton wears a shiny amulet (leaf ornaments; worth 150 gp. 3,900 gp in total). A potion of polymorph.
One of the alcoves hides a secret door leading to room 14. Ceylon eagerly heads down the passage.
At the end of the passage is a tomb with bee-related imagery. Ceylon uses his legs to shove the lid off the sarcophagus. After scanning some treasure, he peers at the shelves, findings a few bits and bobs.
Nothing else. Maybe he missed something back in that big chamber.
Ceylon explores the next few alcoves and detects another secret door. This one is quite large and thick. He prepares his drill to create a tunnel through it. Just as he begins, however, two dozen skeletons stumble out of the alcoves, brandish weapons, and begin running towards Ceylon.
Oops.
26 Skeletons: AC 7 [12], HD 1 (4hp each), Att 1 × rusty weapon (1d6), THAC0 19 [0], MV 60’ (20’), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (1), ML 12, AL Chaotic, XP 10
The adventure intends this to be a big threat, but once Ceylon drills a foot or two into the door, the skeletons won’t be able to hurt him. Instead of having Ceylon fight all 26 skeletons, we’ll have him take a few hits from some of them and spend most of his energy melting through this huge door. Say 24 damage total (4 attacks, 6 damage each)
Ceylon powers his shell and keeps the drill running, trying to make the tunnel before he runs out of energy.
Since the door is so massive, we’ll bump up the difficulty a bit to 10. This is a LOT to deal with at once, so we’ll break it down step by step below:
No time to collect samples or complete the room.
Exhausted and drained, Ceylon shoves open the door and stumbles into the tomb. Green lights settle around him like some kind of spectral escort. He scans the beautiful bas-relief door as an afterthought.
As he turns back to the sarcophagus, a ghostly figure manifests in front of him giving off a powerful energy signature.
The Spectre of Lady Jayne AC 2 [17], HD 6*** (27hp), Att 1 × touch (1d8 + energy drain) or spell, THAC0 14 [+5], MV 150’ (50’) / 300’ (100’) �ying, SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14 (6), ML 11, AL Neutral, XP 950
Now this COULD be a big boss fight, but I was getting tired and wanted to wrap up my session. Since the pheremones wouldn’t work on a ghost, I figured I would have Ceylon simply talk directly to her. Play it out in a cutscene, basically.
“Hello, little light. I greet thee and commend thine efforts in reaching me. You have traveled far indeed. Why have you disturbed my rest?”
Ceylon thinks for a moment, pondering. This is the first being who’s actually tried to TALK to him. How bizarre. “Is it truly restful? This place doesn’t seem like a home to anyone but scavengers and specters.”
The tall woman smirks. “True. My rest is fitful, for soon the Sunnestead Sorceresse shall return and I shudder at the prospect of facing her once again. I’d rather find true rest, somehow.”
Ceylon examines his near-empty power banks. “What if I could offer you more than rest? My masters have sent me to extract knowledge and learn what we can from distant places. There is much you could teach our people.”
“I am bound to this place while my companions suffer. And their pain is long-suffering indeed.” The pale figures offers a sad smile. “Yet, I will sit a while and enjoy this momentary distraction. Ask what you will, and I shall answer.”
And with that, Ceylon took the first step in a life-long journey of learning. He never quite put away his weapons, but he learned to talk first, and shoot only when necessary.
Final Score: 62 Overpower
Thanks for reading this playthrough! It was a beautiful adventure that I only skimmed the surface of. I probably could have explored more, but Ceylon’s power banks ran low and this seemed like a fun way to end the adventure. I hope you get the chance to try Sepulchre of Seven out for yourself! If you do, tell me your high score.
]]>I’m like that co-worker who drives an old junker. When you ask them, “How do you keep that thing running?”, the advice you get will be useful…but probably no replacement for hiring a real mechanic. View all Jalopy Articles here.
You designed your game, wrote some adventures, laid out a zine, filled it with artwork, funded and printed it. Your backers got their copies and everyone is happy.
That is incredible work, and you should be proud of all you’ve accomplished. Time for a nap…
BUT WAIT!
Now you have a bunch of surplus games sitting in your basement. You could try to sell them yourself, but that’s gonna be tricky. You may not be equipped to handle things like…
That’s a LOT! You’d be signing up for a part-time job just to sell the remaining copies of your game. And what about when they finally sell out? Will you order another reprint and keep selling copies? Can you handle all of this?
If the answer is yes, then I want you to sell my books too! The rest of us will pitch our games to an online retailer.
This article will cover the basics of getting your games into online retailers and celebrate some of the incredible storefronts that fuel our hobby.
At the end of the article is an in-depth series of interviews with a bunch of these storefronts. Even if you don’t have a book to pitch, you should check out some of these storefronts and fall in love with a new game.
We will NOT be discussing brick and mortar stores or big-box retailers like Barnes and Noble or Amazon. There’s a wealth of info about how to navigate those waters.
Instead let’s focus on pitching to an indie online retailer.
Interacting with these smaller storefronts is a great way to refine your pitch, make connections, and meet some really cool people. The online retailers mentioned in this article are talented, hard-working, and passionate about our hobby. They regularly take risks on newer creators and help us find bigger audiences.
Thankfully, the retailers in our hobby are friendly and approachable. However they are also busy and professional, so treat their time with respect and put some effort into your communication.
Step 1: Visit their store. Take an hour and browse their site. See what kinds of game they sell. How do they present their stock? What is their vibe? And lastly find the right email to contact them. Some stores have different email addresses for different reasons. If they have a contact form on their site, USE IT!
Step 2: Consider your Pitch. Advice for pitching and marketing is everywhere, but you REALLY want to make sure you have it down-pat before you pitch to a retailer. They’ll be a major customer and will echo your pitch to their own customers.
Step 3: Set Your Price. It’s not the job of a retailer to decide how much to charge for your game. Be direct about your prices and if the store has any questions they’ll ask. Don’t make them figure it out. Some lingo about prices:
Usually the Wholesale is 50% of the Retail price. So if you want to sell your game to customers for $30 then your Wholesale cost is $15. The store will buy X copies from you for $15 and sell them to customers for $30.
Step 4: Draft your email. Do this ahead of time and let it simmer for a bit before you send it. Don’t rush this, first impressions matter. Here’s a basic template to get you started:
Hello STORENAME!
My name is YOUR NAME and my newest game, GAME NAME, might be a good fit for your store.
A GENUINE COMPLIMENT (1 sentence, talk about something you like about their store)
GAME PITCH (2-3 sentences. shorter is better)
BOOK DETAILS (page count, size, hardcover/softcover, retail price, etc)
IMAGE (Optional, keep it small so it doesn’t clutter the email)
GAME PDF LINK (Or attached to the email. Make sure you mention it is attached)
PRESS KIT LINK (optional, but VERY useful in case they want to learn more. Here’s a good guide to Press Kits)
Would you be interested in carrying any copies of GAME NAME in your store?
Thanks for taking the time to consider my request,
YOUR NAME
Step 5: Send it! Once you’re confident that you’re putting your best foot forward, click SEND. Breathe. Whew. Good work. I guess its’ time for a nap…
Step 6: No naps! Review your pitch, your email, and wait for the store to respond. If they haven’t responded after a week or two, send a gentle followup email like:
Hello STORE NAME
I was curious if you were interested in carrying copies of GAME NAME. If it isn’t a good fit I completely understand and I thank you for your time.
YOUR NAME
Step 7: If they responded positively then be prepared to package up your boxes and ship them the games they requested. You’ll likely be responsible for shipping your books to them.
Whether they responded positively or negatively, you should start working on the pitch for another store. It’s not rude to pitch to multiple retailers and get your books in multiple stores. Unless you have some kind of special deal with a retailer, then you should try and get your book in as many stores as possible.
Step 8: Watch the store. Check on it every so often and follow their social media channels. When they announce your game is available, echo it far and wide! Bring your audience to their store. It helps both of you.
Along with the general advice above, I reached out to some of the wonderful stores that bring us together. Their answers are packed with valuable information and some fun trivia. Simply click a store name to view their answers to each question.
Store Page: https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/
Exalted Funeral are the purveyors of weird lit. The name came to me sort of out of the blue, I didnt want anything generic sounding but wanted something that conveyed my favorite aesthetics. Something Metal and Roleplaying. Im sure it came from too much Black Sabbath.
Store Page: https://iglootree.com/
The name has existed for a long time. Back in University, we tried to find an English name for ourselves. ( We used to get our first English name when we started learning English, but obviously I abandoned that one). I looked up and just thought Igloo was an interesting word and also fits my personality. It's also a form of architecture, which relates to me more. I tried to use Igloo when I did my masters. Back then even my tutor called me that. When I started my first job after graduating, I just felt like it's more appropriate to ask people to call my real name. It's more professional, also it is self awareness and to be confident about my identity. Igloo was pushed to be a brand name for myself. 'Tree' is a part of my Chinese name, so I just combined them together to be my brand. I may use Igloo again in the future for something else. Who knows! If I feel like being anonymous again.
Store Page: https://knaveofcups.com/
Knave of Cups is an online shop based out of Portland, Oregon, dedicated to supporting inclusion and creativity in the tabletop roleplaying community. We stock indie TTRPGs, unexpected gifts, and all manner of unique gameplay accessories. We launched in April 2022, started by Ayo and Jen, two friends who share a mutual love of excellent objects. Knave of Cups views TTRPGs as immersive art and believes art is for everyone.
Usually known as the Page of Cups, the Knave of Cups is a tarot card representing unexpected inspiration from the unconscious mind. The Page is usually depicted holding a cup with a fish inside, a symbol of communication and creativity. While the Page may be a bit of a daydreamer, they are also intuitive, empathetic, and idealistic, and they greet the fish in their chalice gladly, as if to converse with it, facing the unexpected with grace and delight.
Store Page: https://monkeyspawgames.com/
My name's Noora and I run Monkey's Paw Games, a publisher/distributor based out of southern Ontario, Canada! I started making, printing and selling games in early 2018. Right now we're exclusively web-based but I'll hopefully be doing some local pop-ups in 2023.
I'd like to say the primary inspiration for the name was the W.W. Jacobs short story "The Monkey's Paw" but anyone who knows me will tell you it's maybe 10% the Jacobs story and 90% The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror II.
Store Page: https://plusoneexp.com/collections/1-games
Plus one is a multiclassed merchant of indie games that merges marketing, publishing, and fulfillment into our storefront. In addition to releasing our games and the games of others, we also carry a line of beard and skin care products inspired by tabletop RPGs and love to collaborate with creators on those like the partnership with have with Dinoberry press to release GORE lip balm and beard balm with they upcoming Kickstarter. Our name comes from the fact that we wanted to lean into products that were uplifting the TTRPG scene and leveraging bonuses and benefits no matter how small. After we checked social media to make sure that Plus One was not taken we landed on Plus One Exp.
Store Page: https://rattiincantati.com/
The shop was created out of our desire to make indie RPGs more accessible to folks living north of the US. And isn't it ironic, don't you think, that our US customers still pay less for shipping than people with a canadian address? (Population density and geography factor in higher postage rates). The shop is operated by me (Drago), my partner Tess, and is supported by our rat mischief (The rats live in a separate space from our inventory. Although they are the cleanest of animals, some people might be allergic so we keep them separate).
We wanted a name that sounds a bit whimsical, that could also be a name of a crust-punk or a black metal band, or the name of some magical creatures you encounter within a game you're playing. The worry was that "ratti incantati" sounds too foreign to a primarily English-speaking audience but all the friends from our RPG circle loved it so we went with that one. Chaos Matriarch was a close contender but we decided that one sounded a tad too pompous.
Store Page: https://spearwitch.com/
Well, a few years ago, I did a small favor for an artist friend of mine, and he spontaneously gave me a little drawing of a witch holding a spear and shield and riding a broom. He told me I could do whatever I wanted with it. So later, when I needed a name and logo for the store, I called it Spear Witch and made that image into a workable logo! I've since gotten a more professional logo design package done, but we still use that original illustration in several of the badges. I love it!
Store Page: https://twentysidedstore.com/
Twenty Sided has been bringing people together through games since 2011. We are a boutique retail store and premiere event location in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Our name is inspired by the icosahedron and 20-sided die used in many roleplaying games.
Store Page: https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/
Really when someone wants to pitch something I always look to the end of things. How do you want this to come out, how do you want it to present? What is the creators intention with it. We can help guide designers to from A to Y but lets see what you think about Z.
Normally I won't ask a lot of questions when people come to propose to have their books in my shop.They will come with some information and I may ask them if they didn't provide key points. If it was not enough for me, I do go to search for what they are and if the content is interesting to me, or may be interesting to others. However I do need to know what this product is. As you can see we have different catalogues in the shop, and I'm not a specialist on each single topic, I need the proposal to be as clear and short as possible to explain what the book is about.
For example, let's say it's a roleplay game, I will need to know what system it is, or if it is a stand alone game, what is the story/adventure, for how many players. The size of the book, the printing/binding method and how many pages. Picture of the book is always good as it's much easier to understand the volume. Some of this information is not very important, but it's good to have. Other things we have to know are the wholesale price and RRP, and shipping price, which can determine how many copies I may get.
We NEED to know a brief summary of the concept, whether or not you have the physical product on-hand or are ordering it, and what the suggested retail price and the wholesale price are. Some photos would be ideal too.
Page count, page size (8.5x11, A5, etc), binding (staplebound, perfect bound, casebound), color or B&W, retail price.
Team. Theme. System/Mechanics. Print format. Length. Cost. In this order. The most important thing to me are the people making the game and who they have attached to the product. I want to be excited about people I am working with. It doesn't have to be that you are well know, I love helping someone get their 1st game into the word, but I want to know who you are.
After that theme, I want to be excited about the game and concept. 2-3 sentences and a good piece of art are ideal. If not give me 4-5 sentences.
Systemwise my goal is to support similar products and certain lines. I can't take everything, and I want to create a good ecosystem for supporting your game. We love system agnositc tools, story forward games, and OSR pieces. If you have writing for one of our house systems, Gauntlet Publishing systems, or have handful of other items I'll be immediately keen. But if your system isn't one we focus on I'll point you to folks who do. That said you should always let us know, because we like what we like.
The last 3 items are really about does it match our line up. We do carry some larger books like Shiver & Tidebreaker, but mostly we focus on zine weight games and games that are less than 140 pages.
Tell us something about you (and other people involved). We need to know what your game is about. What's the name of it? What's the MSRP/retail price? Number of pages? Is it a zine or a paperback or a hardback? Is it ready? What's the minimum quantity? Are complimentary digital files included (I forget to ask this 99% of the time). What game system does it use?
Really I just need to know (briefly) what it is, and how much it costs. Oh, and what your actual name is. You'd be surprised at how many folks forget to put the wholesale price in their initial email! Also how often people forget to include the name of the book!
I also generally ask if the book went to Kickstarter, though it's fine if it's not in the initial email. I'm prioritizing books that weren't funded through Kickstarter, at the moment (money is limited, I have to choose where I put it), so I'm going to need to know before I commit to ordering any regardless.
What does your game art and packaging look like? What is your game about? Who is your game for? How much does your game cost? What is the suggested retail price? Do you offer free shipping / delivery? Do you have a price break for ordering a certain amount? What is the best way to place an order and how easy is it to reorder? Do you offer terms or require payment upfront?
More about the creators themselves and what they put into the game. Games are art, and getting to know the artists can help us guide the books to audiences.
Above information should be more than enough, but some background information would be helpful as well. I do have some stock that never gets sold, which I think it's probably a good idea to know when this product has been produced, how popular it was, how many copies have been printed. I need to evaluate the popularity among my audiences to make sure they can be sold someday. I'm more than happy to take risks to stock some unpopular products as long as I like them personally. Sometimes we just have to give it a try. Also it's cool to have some niche products in the shop. I won't necessarily ask the people who come to me about this information if they didn't provide it already, a quick search would solve most of the questions.
We’d LIKE to know more about the origins of the project, what you hope your audience to experience, how you hope audiences interact with it, what it looks or feels like in your hand. We’d like you to send us a PDF of books or at least have one available on request.
Some ad copy, if you want me to distribute a PDF with it, things like genre/theme are very helpful.
Are you willing to come play your game on stream with us to help promote it? Are you planning more products in this line? What are your wholesale prices? Are you open to consignment vs wholesale?
We'd like to know if a game is a good fit for our store. Most of the games we carry empower the players in one way or another. It's less likely we'll carry a game that makes the players feel utterly hopeless, or puts them in the role of murder hobos. It's doubtful we'll carry a game that puts the players in the role of cops or in situations where they'll be helping law enforcement. We won't carry a game that promotes hate, uses NFTs, or AI "art". Browsing around our store before sending us a pitch is generally a good idea.
Format (hardcover/softcover, A5/letter/whatever), suggested retail price, page count. If you have any prewritten ad copy, I'd love to see it—but don't go out of your way if you don't have any written, I'm almost certainly not going to use it directly. What credits you'd like on the product page. Maybe a PDF of the book, so I can give it a once-over.
Can we offer a free PDF of your game with purchase of the physical copy?
Include anything you want really! Don't be afraid to approach us!
I never thought about what should not be included. So far I feel the more information the better. I can filter out the information I do not need naturally.
We’re pretty open here. If you send us too much stuff, we’ll ignore the stuff we don’t need. The big reason we’d reject a pitch is content. Basically, if we feel the project isn’t something we’re willing to full-throated shout about from the rooftops, we’ll pass. That of course means no bigotry, full stop. However, in the rare cases we’ve had to pass on stuff so far, it’s usually been a lot of casual microaggressions in the text: projects that in our opinion could have benefitted from sensitivity readers.
Also, we don’t carry board games at this time. Don’t pitch us on board games. We love board games. We don’t sell board games.
If it was recently crowdfunded (it is very difficult to sell something that has recently been crowdfunded; the target audience has already bought it!). I very infrequently pick up books that are crowdfunded and only from people I know.
Threats. IDK, but know who you are pitching to and what they carry. Misunderstanding our work makes me far less likely to carry yours.
Nudes.
I don't think there's anything that would keep me from buying a book just because the publisher included it in a pitch email. But I do feel bad when people put a lot of energy into including a bunch of information that they didn't need to. I specifically don't need long lore dumps, or broad explanations of the book—a couple of sentences of ad copy is plenty.
A pitch should be short and to the point, making it as easy as possible to purchase your game with the least amount of time and effort. Include links where we can learn more about you and your game, but do not include your life story and entire world lore in the pitch.
Nope, whenever you feel the most comfortable talking about your project.
Either way is ok, but based on the size of the shop, we can only purchase when the printed books are in hands. If they come with a book under production, we can only consider having them in the shop, but it would be hard to say how many copies we may need due to lack of information. For example, if it's a crowdfunding project, I tried to get them in the campaign, but it may not be a good idea for us since we simply may not be able to afford to pay upfront for a product. We do distribution services for crowdfunding projects and only this way we will promise to get the book beforehand, as our service profit can turn into these prepaid books. So the conclusion is that we prefer already printed books with full information.
We just need you to be upfront about where you are in the process of printing. We may not be able to order until you have them in hand, but we might still be able to commit to buy (or carry via consignment) a number of copies at a later date.
Much like crowdfunded books, I very infrequently pick up books that aren't already in-hand and only from people I know. Otherwise it's carrying a cost for an extended period without being able to recoup it; delays happen, printers get overwhelmed and backed up.
You should do both. Pitch before print to maximize print run. Just be clear on timeline. You should follow up with folks who didn't respond after product is in hand to get it into more stores.
Your zine/book does not have to be ready for print when you send us your pitch but you should probably have a realistic time-frame on when your game is going to come out.
As far as I'm concerned, if you can show me a complete PDF and provide a wholesale price, then it's not too early to pitch to me. I don't mind committing to books before they're done being printed. Now, if the writing, layout, etc., isn't done, that's probably too early to try selling it to anyone, but if you've sent it to the printer, or you're about to? Go for it.
It is ok to pitch earlier, especially if that means we can get preorders up and promotions out to our customers prior to the release date. Plan ahead when setting release dates. Ideally we would have physical copies in our hands prior to release so we have enough time to ship out preorders to our customers so that they arrive on the day of release.
Not really, sometimes we help with that depending on the scope and size. But it certainly doesn't hurt.
It's not necessary for us. I make those pictures/videos myself so we don't really need them for the shop. But it would be good to have the digital book if they can provide them. Not all books can provide a digital version as we have comics/occult/literature which won't have a digital book. Only roleplay games customers would ask for PDF, so the digital book is more for them than us. However, being able to preview the content could help us to understand the book much easier.
More is better as long as the basics are easy to find and understand. I wouldn’t worry about video content, though. If you have it, sure, include it, but it definitely will not be a primary deciding factor for us.
Ad copy and any digital files to be included yes, but I take my own photos and typically don't include videos.
Yes please. Images and media are essential for me getting the product listed in advance. Give me art, if you have actual plays or short videos let us know. I want it all and I want to feature it on the game page probably.
Include whatever media you have. Or give us a link to it.
Images are great, digital files of the book are great, ad copy is great. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to watch your video, and I'm not going to read any writeup you got in Dicebreaker or whatever. I just don't have that kind of time or energy to devote to every pitch I get—I'm one guy. Again, you're welcome to include those things, I won't get mad. I just hate to imagine people spending all that time and energy on a thing I'm likely going to ignore.
Yes absolutely! Other than the cost sheet, everything you send to us should be marketing materials aimed at the consumer that we can use to sell your game.
Anyway which way that best suits you, we have all the typical marketing covered and your social space and presence is your own.
Link our webpage/ the product page in your ads/social media and your publishing website would be very helpful. It can help your fans to find us, and also it can increase the ranking of Google search when you are trying to find a certain product. It would also be very helpful if you can encourage people to leave a review on the product page, or a Google review to the shop, which also increases the chance for the shop to be found. If necessary or if you need, you can ask us to provide a logo for this purpose.
Whatever channel or format you work in, we’ll take it! If you’re excited, tell your followers (one time or a bunch of times), tag us into threads, mention us in your newsletter, link us from your game’s itch page. We have a press kit available that includes our logo as well as a little info about us, and you’re welcome to use anything in there as well.
MOST IMPORTANTLY: if you have an idea for a stream, giveaway, giant theme party, weird art installation, etc, TELL US! We love collaborating on creative, unexpected things!
"Available in print in Canada at Monkey's Paw Games" is perfect.
Absolutely. We would love it if you did. Tag us so we can signal boost you.
It would be wonderful if you could put a link on your website/twitter/instagram/newsletter that directs people to your game in our store. We're happy to provide you with any of our logos should you need it.
Well first of all, I don't want anyone to think they have to marketing for my store, or that I expect them to, just because I bought a handful of their books—that's my job, and I do my best. But insofar as it does benefit a publisher or creator if I sell more of their books, it might be worthwhile to put a link to the Spear Witch product page on the Itch for your book, and on your personal website, if you have one. That kind of thing. Tacking on a little "Available in print at these stores," with a list of links afterward to any marketing you do is a simple thing that can help a lot.
Link directly to our website home page or specific product pages. Mention us as a place to buy your game on social media. List and link to our business on your location finder on your website. twentysidedstore.com @20sidedstore
This is a massive answer really and depends on the scope and size of the project. We have a long release schedule set that ties in with distribution amongst our various outlets. We do everything from grassroots to paid marketing. Once a project is going we take a look at the needs of it and then make a roadmap for the life of the project.
We have facebook/instagram ads and Google PPC working all along to get people to know us, which your products will be the key selling point. We are selling books, not just our brand after all. Irregularly we are puting newsletter out to our customers with certain benefits to encourage more sales. Meantime, we have our weekly deal ( not exactly every week) to remind our customers what products we have in the shop. Every new product will get a chance to be on the front page of our website, and they may come back on the weekly deals and recommended products.
Our job is to get your work appreciated. You make the game, we’ll do our best to introduce it to people who will love it.
We release new items once a month, every first Friday. The Friday we introduce your game, it will be highlighted in the drop day email received by our subscribers, and in the past we’ve also made announcement threads on twitter tagging creators, giving you a post to share. There will also be at least one social post, repeated across all our channels, tagged to your account(s) whenever possible, featuring your game. Later, we might ‘re-merch’ or highlight your game as part of a larger theme - horror games in October, for example. In addition, you’re welcome to use any of the photos we’ve taken of your game for your own marketing (just let everyone know where you got ‘em).
We also work with a variety of streamers, content creators, and event producers, and we strive to match their goals with the games in our inventory. This could look like anything from reviews, interviews, or Actual Plays to featuring your game as a giveaway in a contest or during a live event. Once we have products in hand, we’re constantly trying to match up our inventory with folks making content and producing events about games, tarot cards, etc.
When new books arrive I take photos and post them to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and more recently Tiktok. I also run a mailing list with ~2,000 subscribers that features new arrivals and restocks.
Honestly this is where our store really shines. Marketing is a partnership, but in addition to release emails, and social media promotion we will do evergreen promotions for the life of the product, but really we also want to play your game on out channel if possible. We want you to come run it for our team and help promote it natively. This let's us talk authentically about our enthusiasm for your game. We can also carry it at conventions and events we attend like PaxU and Gencon.
We send out newsletters whenever we have new products in stock. We promote the games we carry through paid ads on facebook and Instagram. We post on twitter. We also do our own product photography so in most cases you can expect to see some nice photos of your zine/book on our social media.
This is a tough question, and kind of a tedious one to answer thoroughly, but I'll do my best. I've done a good bit of marketing through Facebook and Instagram ads at various points in the recent past, but due to really boring changes in the way those services conduct themselves (the ROI has absolutely tanked in the last 12 or so months), I've put them on hold for the foreseeable future while I look for a decent replacement. In the meantime, my newsletter and social media presence does the job well enough to speak to my existing audience and move products.
I've got a very strong returning customer base (better than a huge majority of online stores, if my metrics are any indication), and I tend to convert new customers to returning ones reliably. And, as I said, I'm trying out some things to get products in front of new customers more, I just haven't landed on what's the most effective venue just yet. All of which is to say: it's a tough time right now for small store marketing, but my existing customer base is stellar!
We will have your game predominantly displayed on our retail shelves and easily searchable on our online store. We will include your game in a collection of similar products for customers to easily find what they are looking for. We will cross promote your game through our email list, blog post, live streams, social media, and Discord community. If you are local we can also host an event around your game.
Sure! Some creators feel their entire portfolio fits with us or maybe one single project. Whatever works best! If something doesnt fit with us we can always steer you to another company that can help similar that may better suit your needs.
Yes, it won't be an issue for us. I regard this as a win-win situation. The more you can sell, the more we can sell. As most of our products are indie, and indie books normally won't be printed a lot. If the books are in multiple stores and get popular, it can only benefit us. The only thing you need to do is to have your fans to know we have them!
Absolutely. We think that it’s a big ecosystem, and that it's not a zero-sum game. We want more new players and customers to come into this unique hobby, and we believe that the more successful shops there are out there, the better we all are as a whole.
We’d like to put a finer point on that: We don’t think you should put all your eggs in one basket, even ours. And if someone else is asking you to commit to their store alone, you should really look hard at whether that’s a good deal for you.
Yes; I wouldn't categorize it as polite or impolite. Selling books is a precarious business and, while it is difficult for a small shop such as mine to move a book that's available and possibly cheaper via an operation that can buy and stock (and ship!) it at scale, that's not the publisher's problem, that's mine. I do tend to look for books that aren't readily available at the bigger retailers.
Please do! It's moderately helpful to know if it's already in a lot of stores, but if we want it we want it. I love cross promoting the work other stores are doing also so don't hesitate to pitch multiple folks.
We do not believe in exclusivity. We have great relationships with other zine stores owners and frequently promote their shops. Many stores, just like us, also function as distributors and we often buy zines from different publishers from them. Maybe having a distributor is a good option for you too? Talk to us about it!
Of course! I'd never hold someone or their book hostage. I fully expect and encourage you to sell your book to every store that will have you.
It is not our business who else you pitch your game to. If you want us to carry your game there are a couple things to consider: we will not want to sell your game at a price that is higher than what you or other retailers are selling it for, and we will need at least a 50% margin or greater on our cost.
This depends on the contract, sometimes creators want limited runs or only want the project maybe for a holiday or sale event. This is sort of outlined at the get go but when the time comes we typically just fire off reprints unless something contractually states otherwise.
You should check in if you see we are out of stock. I am working on multiple projects all the time and may miss what was out of stock sometimes. I normally will reach out when the product is out of stock and still in demand. I may also consider not to restock certain products either because they are going out too slow or cost too much energy.
You’re welcome to check in with us (we love a proactive attitude!) but it’s more likely we’ll let you know when we need a restock.
I don't mind people pitching to me for restocks; generally I'll reach out when I've sold enough to warrant a restock. Unfortunately sometimes I just can't move enough to justify one.
Ask away. We theoretically have guardrails on that, but TBH it's one less thing I have to remember to do if you reach out to me. I love that about you.
If you see that your books are close to being sold out or are sold out in our store already, don't hesitate to remind us!
Please please please reach out about restocks whenever you think is appropriate. I'm terrible about soliciting restocks, and half the time books sell out at the distributor and don't get reprinted anyway. So it saves me a lot of trouble (and gets you more sales, hopefully) if you email me about restocks instead of waiting for me to do it.
Definitely follow up with us about restocks. I would suggest following up monthly to find out how well your game is selling. After a few months you should be able to estimate how often we will need to place a reorder.
Oh yes... *rubs hands evil like* We also have an entire section just devoted to purchasing items as well so send us the goods!
We will always be open for new products.Even we may not be able to take a lot of them, but every indie product should have a chance to give a try.
Always! We love to hear from creators. We may not have the budget to buy your game wholesale at the time, but we also sell games via consignment, and offer generous rates if you are willing to trust your product with us. The best way to get a hold of us is the contact form on our website, which goes straight to our email.
Yes*, but my availability to pick them up is subject to monthly cashflow. Much like 7/11 I'm not always doing business but I'm always open.
YES! Currently we are mostly taking consignment products since we have a number of print partnerships we are rolling out over the next 4 months and are dedicating funds to that. However we are still doing some wholesale purchases also.
We are operating on a minimal budget with a long waiting list of games to buy, which is not ideal. Don't let that discourage you though! You do want to get on that list!
Well, November is a pretty bad time to send pitches, to be perfectly honest. Black Friday looms large over everything. But having said that: the big influx of liquid cash most stores get during a Black Friday sale makes December a great time to send an email.
In general, though, I'm always accepting new products—though I might be more or less capable of committing to buy something, based on cashflow and such. The only way to know is to ask!
We are always looking for new products.
It's so cool to see all these names in here in this article! While one may seem better than the other they are all pretty rad to work with! -you want to contact us for pitches at: projects@exaltedfuneralcom
to buy your product: purchasing@exaltedfuneral.com
or to ask me and industry question or send memes to: matt@exaltedfuneral.com
One thing you may notice is that we don't have a system for PDF distribution. Personally, a book should be a product that you can hold in hand and flipping through them. Not saying digital books are not useful in any way, but I'd like to have the idea that a book is a physical book. By different reading habits, you can have audio book, digital book and e-book for any reason, and we are more than happy to provide PDFs if any customs request them when they are buying the physical copies if we have them. We only come across to be asked for PDFs for roleplaying games. I hope this won't be too strange for some pitch as we will focus on physical books and PDFs only on request.
Another thing is that we'd like to expand our catalogue in the future, to art, architecture and design. We can also provide design services like logo and book design. We are already doing crowdfunding distribution services, but I haven't got them online yet as I'm currently a bit too busy on other projects, but this is something I hope we can do and do more in the future. Iglootree is trying to support indie creators, small or big projects are all appreciated as we all know we need new ideas and more ideas. We are a new and small platform for them, but I'm hoping by helping each other out we could create more fun things. I'm not a community kind of person, which means I will do it my way to make it work.
We mean it about collaborating on creative, unexpected things.
If you’ve got something kicking around, a way you’d like to promote your work that you’ve dismissed on account of not having the right support, tell us about it. Can’t hurt to ask!
Typically smaller stores such as mine are only going to be able to pick up between 6-12 copies of any one thing at a time. Unfortunately, in most cases my cashflow is as limited as yours probably is. I can almost never meet a minimum order of more than 10, and if your wholesale price is more than ~$30 USD I'm just never going to be able to sell your book.
International shipping and customs is very expensive. I don't mind paying shipping, but when you're writing your customs information list things as "books" and not "games," because nine times out of ten "games" suggests commercial board game products which are tariffed at a much higher rate, and all of a sudden I'm paying $80-90 USD in import fees on top of shipping, which isn't the publisher's fault but does ensure that I can't afford a restock anytime soon.
One of our goals at Plus One is to build up our store as a go to spot for customers and brick and mortar stores in 2023. If you are looking for a storefront that can help you as creator grow your portfolio and line up of games, or just get your game into wider distribution, we would love to talk to you about how we can support that beyond just selling your games. At Plus One we firmly believe that by helping creators get their games to tables that we make the whole scene a better place. We would love to talk with you about getting your games out to the wider RPG community.
As we're dirt poor, our inventory is heavily curated. There are at least 10 times more games we'd like to stock than we actually can so we need to make cuts. Again - don't let that discourage you! Your game is more likely to move up on our list if it fits nicely with what we already stock, so browse around before you contact us, if you have the time. Games featuring rats, goblins, or mushrooms will certainly get you on our good side. Kid friendly games, as well as satanic mechanics are what we're in to too. And we can never have enough rebellions against tyrants, vampiric or otherwise! Your game doesn't have to be anywhere near perfect but we do need to feel that it comes from the heart and that you believe in it.
I want to make it super clear here: none of this stuff is going to make or break a sale for me. I genuinely want to buy every book I get an email about, and I do my best to make good on that, circumstances allowing. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have, even if you think they might be basic or silly or outside the purview of a "normal" interaction with a retailer or whatever. I've got some amount of experience in the various parts of this market, and I'm happy to give advice where I can. If you're not sure, just go ahead and send me an email, I'd love to chat about it with you and see if I can help.
Having said that: I'm just one guy, so I do miss things and drop balls occasionally. So if I don't respond quickly or at all, do feel free to send a follow-up. I promise I'm not ignoring you maliciously. We're all doing our best.
Stay tuned to Twenty Sided for more information on upcoming spotlights and workshops on game design and publishing. Join our Discord server, sign up for our monthly newsletters, follow us on socials, and head over to twentysidedstore.com for full details.
I cannot stress enough how valuable it can be to get your book into an online store. Aside from making a little money you will grow your audience, forge new connections, and gain confidence in marketing your creations.
We are so lucky to have alternatives to bloated corporate nonsense, and everyone on this list deserves your support and attention. Consider shipping with them and continue to support indie creators and the flourishing of our awesome hobby. I hope to see all featured in more stores! Good luck!
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]]>Let’s explore that a bit, shall we?
Today I’m actually taking a step “backwards” with my convention display. I’m going to try and simplify it considerably, sell even fewer items, and cut down on my signage. Why? How?
Maybe this is just me, but when I go to a convention I’m there to see new, weird stuff and interact with passionate creators. I don’t want buy a copy of Munchkin or Magic the Gathering.
Big, shiny booths like this one are undoubtedly effective, and I’m sure they generate awareness and revenue…but I tend to avoid them. It’s unlikely that anyone working this booth can talk about their latest drafts or describe the art direction for the latest expansion. We can’t argue about a new mechanic or tournament structures.
This booth exists to reinforce an already popular brand. It would be weird if they DIDN’T have a giant impressive display at GenCon.
Same for booths that sell merch. While there might be some interesting things available, I can find all that stuff online. No one can tell me how they come up with their idea for the latest hololive plushy.
There are a few exceptions, of course. This booth below looks too slick to engage me, but after a bit of research looks to be from a small(ish) team. If the creator(s) are there, then I’d love to pick their brain about stuff.
Of course, because it’s so shiny it might be packed with people and I won’t get the opportunity for a good conversation.
The booth from Indie Press Revolution is packed with lots of lovely games, and their workers might actually be able to give me some good info. But they’re primarily here to sell books, not discuss RPG trends and give recommendations.
To be clear, there’s NOTHING wrong with this. A lot of people go to conventions to shop for merch and buy stuff. And for the last few conventions I’ve been trying to attract those kinds of people: bigger signs, professional displays, more merch, etc.
And while all of those things make sense, I didn’t see much engagement with the books themselves. People seemed resistant to touch them. They look like display items, not interactive objects.
And I want people to touch my books! How can I fix this?
To contrast the previous booth setups, I was enamored with these two setups from Spear Witch and Loot The Room.
Look at this disagrace of a booth! Just one sign? Halphazard price displays? Books just plopped down on the table! Where’s the verticality? Where are the different kinds of merch?
And yet…if I saw this booth at a convention I would beeline for it! I’d want to hear about all the books, how they were made, what weirdness is contained within, etc. I’d want to pick up every book and flip through it.
Likewise, at a recent convention I loved these two booths from Brian Tenace and Nerd It Out:
Both of these are laser-targeted towards getting passerbys to interact in some way. I envy how Brian’s setup encourages people to just start flipping pages. The little spinner from Nerd It Out gets people talking and engaging with the booth. It’s a simple thing, but powerful. It worked on me!
This is what I want from conventions: engagement and conversation. Now how can I modify my own setup to provide that?
Goodbye bookshelf. You did not encourage people to touch my books. Hopefully this slant will do much better in that department. There’s enough room to pick up a book and put it back without feeling awkward or shaky. And we still preserve some verticality.
We have Bones Deep set off to the side for now, but it could fit on the slant if it needed to.
Price stickers are right on each book; one less sign to deal with. I have a little book menu, but I still haven’t decided if I’ll display it or just hand it to interested customers.
BIG HEAVY D20! This thing feels amazing to roll. And we added a sign to drive home that interaction. Hopefully folks will engage, win a decent discount, and then use that discount to buy something. I will write the discount on a business card and hand it to them; two for one style.
I even have some fun goodies for folks who roll a 1 and “fail forward”. You’ll have to visit the booth to learn what they are…
The freebies return, as usual. They are such a powerful way to showcase what an RPG is and give people something to enjoy right off the bat.
I’ll be at Savannah Comic Con over the weekend, and afterward I’ll update this post with a sales report and feedback.
Wish me luck!
As always, I learned a few lessons:
Bring an extra tablecloth. The tables were not the size we were told, and if I didn’t happen to have a bit of extra fabric on hand it would have ruined my display.
Don’t bring so many books. I was far too overeager and brought 3 large, heavy boxes of books with me. I could have fit them all into 1 box…ugh. Punished by my own hubris!
Don’t wear a costume. Sure, it was kind of fun but it really drained my energy, it wasn’t very comfortable, and most folks didn’t care. Maybe if I had some INCREDIBLE outfit it would draw more people…but likely my grumpy mood did more harm than the costume did good.
Aside from those minor issues, it was a great convention! We did really well.
Sales breakdown over the two convention days:
By far our most successful convention yet. This one was VERY large, with a huge emphasis on the vendor booths. We weren’t tucked into a back corner; instead the vendors were the main draw! Major props to the convention staff for planning and organizing everything well for us.
What about the new gimmicks? How did they go?
The Dice Discount was not as much of a draw as I hoped, but it did help sell more copies. I’ll explain what I mean.
What I expected: People would see the die, read the sign, and then roll it. If they got a good discount, then they might buy something or took a closer look at the books.
What actually happened: People came to look at the books, grab a freebie, and were ready to buy something THEN they noticed the dice discount.
The dice discount was a last bit of encouragement to buy a book (or two or three). One major exception was when a college student got really excited about Bones Deep, but could only afford it with a 16% discount or higher. He started roping in random passersby to rolls the die so he could use their discount. I think he convinced another 2-3 people to buy books on his own!
By contrast, one guy came by and said “Wow! That’s a really cool way to sell books and engage customers. I bet it convinces a lot of people to buy stuff.” Then he left without buying anything!
The die was a positive addition to the booth, and maybe with better signage it could be a bigger draw.
Stacks VS Slab came from a conversation I had with Jim Crocker on discord. He pointed out that stacks of books have a few big benefits for convention displays:
So in my brain I had resolved to try the slab one day, try the stacks the next day, and compare them. However, since the tables were so much larger than we planned for, I had room to spare.
I think I have to admit that Jim was right about the stacks. More people reached for the stacked books instead of the slab books; even though the slab ones had prices on them and were made for easy handling.
I guess some folks thought they were display only? I’m not sure. But while the slab looks nice, I’m glad I had room to scatter books around. In the future I’ll try to have both, but if I HAD to pick one, I’d go with the stacks of books. Wild.
I have one or two more conventions on the horizon, but one big improvement that I’ve been thinking about is some poster displays.
From the image above you can see that a lot of vendors sold art and had these nice tall displays. Our books have a ton of gorgeous art in them; maybe we should get some posters printed and hung above our booth.
Of course, then I worry that folks will actually want to BUY posters. Just something to think about.
I hope you found these rambling obversations useful. And maybe we’ll bump into each other on the convention circuit!
]]>Now, here in part 2 I interviewed a few folks who are already doing really cool work with RPGs and education. Our questions focus on the question of “Does Critical Core prepare the GM to run games that will aid in learning and development?”
Our panel of interviewees features:
Click a name to reveal their responses. Click it again to hide them.
My name is Conrad, I have a Masters’ degree in Counseling Psychology and I have been a dungeon master for nearly 16 years. I have used RPGs for the entirety of that time as a teaching aid – if not for others then for myself. When I was first seriously learning about tabletop gaming, I was a freshman in college. I joined the school chorale immediately and met several students my senior studying music, literature, theology, and philosophy. I view all of these as paths to understanding the human condition and, while I knew psychology was my route, I have always been interested in these other subjects to further advance my knowledge.
They recognized me as a lifelong advocate of fantasy and I was invited to play “Dungeons & Dragons” with them. I used quotations because it was primarily homebrew mechanics, but we referred to our gaming as DnD. We did not have any of the manuals; we had 3rd edition character sheets and notepads. Our only house rule was simply “Dungeons Masters (DM) are law.”
From my very first choice, I began learning about perspective. At the time I had rolled a Lawful Evil half-elf bard named Asterin and all the players were serving a sentence in a prison town. I cast summon lute thinking that would permit me to perform my primary function…to perform. In my mind this would be a teleportation spell causing the lute to appear in my hands. Instead, our DM imagined a direct flight path to me. Our scene plays out by the lute smashing through a soft wall where prisoners’ possessions are kept and knocking over any people in the way. I catch the lute and guards witness the entire thing, so I’m forced to run and hide inside a barrel. I then spent the next hour avoiding guards but was ultimately caught. From my first action I had to reassess the weight of actions in a fantasy world where anything is possible.
I previously mentioned what each player was studying because it had a profound impact on our collective fiction. Selecting from the moral and ethical scales good – evil, lawful – chaotic, we were expected to strictly adhere to our codes. At a crossroads where the decision was difficult, we would break from the fantasy to discuss why an action would fall under the notion of good. Once we completed our discourse, we’d shift into properly understanding the mindset. None of this was ever to remove agency, but to enlighten ourselves as to the motivations of people. Our exchanges were quite entertaining and made me more apt to see through the eyes of another.
Realizing this power, I made it my own mission as a Game Master to create extremely immersive experiences. I wanted the players to learn something new every time they sat down with me. For years I experimented with house rules and read over 100 DnD 3rd edition books. Even if it was for a single encounter, I wanted new ways to help my players flourish. I finally reached a point where I created my most divisive character ever. At the time I was running 3 separate groups through the same homebrew campaign and charting all of their major decisions. I shared a comparative document to demonstrate different outcomes, but also different approaches to the same tasks. A singular character I created was beloved by one group, loathed by the second, and evenly split by the third. This was a proud moment for me because – whether positive or negative – I had evoked visceral emotional responses. From a psychological standpoint, I created a reflective moment – why do you hate him? Why do you love him? From these questions stemmed intense conversations – not aggressive, but passionate. I had never been more convinced that games could be used as teaching tools.
I am a Master's Level Clinician who is also the Executive Director of the Bodhana Group, a York, PA based non-profit utilizing tabletop gaming for education, therapy and skill building purposes. I received my masters in Human Services in 2008 from Lincoln University. I have over 25 years working with youth with unique challenges in educational, recreational, residential and home based treatment settings. I have been playing and running RPGs recreationally for over 38 years. I have been running them clinically for about 8.
I didn’t receive specific schooling in the use of RPG or tabletop, but have taken counseling courses and have primarily used CBT, Mindfulness, Buddhist Psychology approaches in my counseling of others. Bodhana’s model is about determining the skills or diagnoses you want to work on, choosing a theoretical orientation and then finding ways to deliver that therapy using analogs within the structure of the game’s mechanics and narrative. I prefer rules light systems like Kids on Bikes and Pugmire as well as some one-page and indie titles.
I’m Joe DeSimone. My company, The Academy of Games, co-founded with Alex Blakeney, uses RPGs for team building and strategic planning in corporate settings as well for adolescent education. Prior to that I was an organizational psychologist and also taught game design at a few different places, including teaching RPG design at Brooklyn Game Lab and paper prototyping for videogame design at Make Room! for E-Line Media. Overall I’ve been teaching game design or using games in my practice to teach other topics for a decade or so.
I’m Victoria Priano, I am an analog designer working within the table-top and comic book industry and represent talent in the beauty industry as my second day job. I have developed a well-received summer program entirely focused on worldbuilding and RPG design as well as regularly facilitating games for young adults -- with a particular affinity for facilitation with ages 16-18 into early college years.
At this point I’ve probably played between 20 and 30 different tabletop RPGs. The newest game I learned would be Capes, Cowls, & Villains Foul by Barak Blackburn and Spectrum Games. It’s a cool system that balances superheroes in a way where Booster Gold & Superman can go on a mission together and be relevant. I love the notion that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, so let’s encourage development and community to cover our bases.
I first played the Ghostbusters RPG in 1986 after goofing around in D and D. My most recent RPG would probably be Kids on Brooms and Savage Sisters. I’m fascinated by what games bring people into our community and how it shapes their gaming preferences.
5th edition of Call of Cthulhu, specifically Delta Green when I was four or five years old. The Unspeakable Oath zines pre-Delta Green being a fully released setting. Weird way to start, being a four-year old playing a deeply messed up RPG in the 90s with a bunch of older metalheads. Most recent was probably Dungeon Crawl Classics.
The Star Wars Roleplaying Game by West End Games, or GURPS -- probably GURPs. I’ve been focused primarily on supplemental materials for colleagues' projects, because of two new projects under wraps for the last year -- however I played a lovely session of Spencer Campbell’s Slayers a few weeks back.
I knew about Critical Core after seeing a panel about it at PAX East years ago when it was in development. I had not actually reviewed the material after release, but I was aware of the concepts. As someone who has used DnD to help facilitate growth in myself and others, I was pleased to know a group of educated individuals in the field could manualize therapy and learning using tabletop gaming. One of the most difficult aspects of psychology has been breaking ancient stigmas.
One part of this is mental health as weakness versus illness. The other part is that the treatment has long been seen as mystical rather than scientific. We as individuals are complex and demonstrating scientific evidence means repetition. Can I recreate that data? What objectively leads to diagnosis vs. subjective intuition? Seeing the pre-generated character sheets, my initial reaction was that the authors did a great job creating universal starting points that meet the aforementioned standard.
I knew very well about Critical Core, the Game to Grow team and specifically Adam Johns and Adam Davis are great friends and colleagues. My initial impressions were that it is a nice approach to teaching people about the basics of role playing games using a rules light approach. Initially, it seemed to be a strange choice, being limited to a certain level with no character creation, but I think ,people can get “jammed up” as it were expecting a fully realized game system rather than an introductory experience.
I really loved the module design breaking down what can be some heady concepts in what exactly happens during therapeutically applied RPGs. I see it as a great jumping off point for newbies to the hobby and a great 101 style introduction to therapeutic concepts for practitioners. In terms of it being a learning experience, there are people who are intimidated by D and D, and Critical Core does provide a great intro experience.
I did know about Game to Grow as we are in similar professional circles. We’ve spoken to the Adams [founders of Game to Grow] on several occasions in a professional capacity, and I’ve traded DMs and spoken with Adam Davis a few times. In fact, our company has a copy of Critical Core lying around that I haven’t gotten the chance to look at. It impressed me, even just looking at the presentation and pitch.
For both kids and adults, there have been a lot of previous attempts at educational game frameworks. Everything from therapeutic games built around DBT to military wargames and the strategic simulations build by people like Volko Ruhnke for the CIA. Probably the most “gamey” RPG-based educational games I’d seen are what are called “matrix games,” but Critical Core now takes the cake. Many previous attempts, especially those for either early childhood education or for the consumer market, didn’t really understand RPGs and wound up more like Choose Your Own Adventure books. Probably the closest comparison would be No, Thank You, Evil! by Shanna Germain at Monte Cook Games.
All in all, from what I’ve seen, Critical Core is a big jump forward in terms of game design for this specific market. Having Critical Core lead into 5e is smart, since it intentionally builds an understanding of roleplaying fundamentals beyond the educational framework, and the entire product is much more engaging on an RPG level.
No. But I’ve become very familiar with Game to Grow and have been growingly critical, to be honest.
I’m naturally antagonistic towards anything that aims to take an academic and financial gain aimed towards children on the spectrum. I find the marketing pitch of being catered towards neurodivergence antithetical and often othering to the very demographic it hopes to provide a heightened experience to.
Parents will always be desperate to find a way to support their children, and this sometimes leads to pathologizing and estranging them from their peers -- which is wholeheartedly the opposite of their intentions. My previous collaborator was a social worker, who was strongly against the propagation of promising social skills through the means of a buy-in program.
I have a hard stance that the academic approach to simplifying an activity that naturally assists in facilitating growth in these fields unfortunately faces the same hazard as placing any group of people under an academic lense without regularly holding a dialogue with the targeted group -- further ostracizes the demographic while only benefiting the academics esteem and safety related needs.
For those unfamiliar (like me!) Floortime puts the principles of DIR into practice. It is a modality that uses each child’s natural motivation for play to achieve ever-increasing ‘loops of interaction’ with the facilitator. The objective is to develop skills and growth that are more deeply rooted, more flexible, and more empowering than approaches that merely address discrete, surface-level behaviors.
I am familiar with it though not something I’ve historically worked with. I’ve primarily dealt with an adult population. That being said, I think the Functional & Emotional Developmental ladder is a concrete example of my own experience with RPGs. My players may not be seeking to simply learn those skills, but everyone could improve using them. Progress is about working on yourself daily. Every person can benefit from practice, which can reinforce or strengthen.
I have some cursory familiarity with DirFloortime. I think it is not hard for a play based experience to tie in with the concepts of the core framework of DIRFT. The essence of play responds well with this framework. I like the way that the system calls out and gives some words to what people experience and feel, so in the regard of giving people professionally a language and examples of how CC can highlight these concepts, well won.
As long as professionals can graft this information into their existing framework, then the core teachings from CC can be better utilized. A lot of difficulty from some professionals is the actual creation of settings and scenarios to accomplish the goals listed in the DIRFT capacities. Translating and continuing these is a task many GMs find tough. The module examples show the opportunities broken down very simply.
I’m somewhat familiar, but my expertise is I/O psychology not clinical or developmental psych. I’m more focused on the organizational side; training vs education, boardrooms vs. hospitals. Their approach is completely different from my own; we’re in different worlds.
Yes. It (DIR) actually caused me a lot of developmental stress, as a child -- while I support newer studies and development around it; I feel as though several other forms of cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectic behavioral therapy and just recognizing that FEDC is built into most systems really is the biggest issue with this approach.
It’s just packaging the pedagogy of what roleplaying already is for vulnerable and desperate parents and adults who are constantly searching for support -- and a solution.
They certainly brand it well for their targeted demographic.
Critical Core has 5 “Core Capacities” that each encounter focuses on:
A: Regulation. The ability to be calm and regulated is easily the most important capacity.
B: Collaboration. More than mere cooperation, Critical Core provides additional opportunities to practice and enjoy collaboration and will inspire players to not only see other people as a resource for assistance in solving problems, but to seek them out as a source of joy and meaningful connection.
C: Planning. Like in real life, Critical Core players are most successful when operating somewhere between impulsive action and unnecessary overthinking. Game masters should strike a balance between the two, rewarding decisive action based on critical thinking as players are encouraged to blend in-the-moment spontaneity with logical reasoning.
D: Perspective. Because building the capacity to see the world through other’s eyes is an essential component to developing empathy with others, it is important to reinforce the Perspective capacity whenever possible. It is also a valuable capacity as it provides new potential for insight and personal reflection, reinforcing the other Critical Core Capacities.
E: Pretend Play. Throughout the Critical Core Game Master’s Guide you are encouraged to modify the rules of the game as you see fit to support player enthusiasm and engagement. When players are truly playing, they will care less about the specific rules and more about the meaningful interactions they are having. Not only does their engagement increase, their ability to integrate all of the five Core Capacities improves tremendously.
It is important for facilitators to remember that Critical Core is not meant to teach discrete skills without context. Humans are not built that way! Social “skills” are rarely built in isolation and rarely generalize to other settings when taught this way. This means, for example, that instead of teaching listening as a series of observable behaviors, we try to support the dynamic development of wanting to listen to others, alongside the advocacy for alternative ways of participation, i.e., “How I listen looks different.”
Let’s explore these a bit.
I think for the target population these make total sense to me. My own background is Cognitive Behavioral Psychology, which boasts high rates of efficacy for anxiety and depression, and an imperative piece of the process is goal setting. The ability to see one’s progress through a journal or session notes compounds with treatment. With the ultimate goal being “develop social skills,” these core capacities could be used regardless of age.
Imagine an adult with social anxiety at a party. Utilizing and increasing skills would begin with regulation. You can’t hold a conversation if you’re too anxious or depressed, so coping strategies would come into play here. Collaboration in Critical Core has fantasy built in, so perhaps this same person can spark a conversation about their passion for it? Goal setting as a function is important, but the particular items could change to reflect various needs.
The core capacities are well focused on core areas that RPG play help develop and fine tune. This is especially true when viewed from the social skills work lens. I think these are great initial goals to use for the lay professional, parent or educator. They correlate to being present, socialization, critical thinking, empathy and engagement. For some deeper gopals, if the practitioner seeks to use them for such, it would require a deeper dive into stronger concepts, such as trauma work or full diagnoses like anxiety or depression. But again, CC is an introductory tool that gives good foundational elements that can be expounded upon very easily. The core capacities are very commonly seen areas of focus in RPGs. They can be broken down more minutely into more specific treatment examples, but these are great as said before, jumping off point.
Again, this isn’t really my expertise. But I would broadly agree with them from a general psychology standpoint and observations from my own teaching.
No, I find that it is a way of allowing jobs to exist where genuine interest and desire to study it lies. I find it exciting to have the ability to identify these different aspects, but isolating and trying to work within the capacities models can be very limiting.
Several doctors and social workers I’ve worked with over the years have agreed and been in exact opposition to focusing on capacities.
To some children, and facilitators it actually causes more complications and structures that cause executive dysfunction to flair up and become overwhelming -- when we could have focused on the individual rather than attempting to identify a single capacity when they contain untapped multitudes. As a neurodivergent player, we’ll feel more distressed because instead of just focusing on the story, we’ll end up having some variation of homework at the end of the session.
I’ve found that a 20-year old Columbia student without a psychology background has been a better facilitator than somebody who dedicated their entire career to behavioral science -- because the student is focusing on what is in front of them -- rather than something to correct or identify.
I completely agree with this approach. In either an entertainment or educational setting people can only digest so much. If you were taking a course and within the hour the teacher said, “We’re going to cover the history of New Zealand, factorials, Japanese language, and the biology of arachnids” that would be ridiculous. This is a hyperbolic example, but we are only going to absorb so much. Learning too is a building process, so knowing Geometry won’t help me learn a language though it will help me learn Trigonometry. Focusing on a topic predicated on the previous concept is beneficial to comprehension. Likewise in entertainment when a movie attempts to pack in too many things, the whole will suffer for it. We can have enjoyable scenes that don’t add up to a compelling story since they didn’t build up to a finish.
I think this depends on the client and the goal. Our approach is more open play, but some audiences can require very targeted and focused skill work. I also think that the modules do provide great ways to guide practitioners towards themed content around specific goals. The trick is if you have many kids with varying goals, you might need to apply more than one area. The trick here is that if someone looks at Critical Core as a complete all included system, I think they are missing the point. The adventures show possibilities and how they are inserted. They are the building blocks, not the house.
Our approach in Bodhana is to provide a more open playground and sometimes the clients guide the adventure in a direction they find more helpful. This is something I think no system can teach outside of experience. Just as with players in traditional RPG, no story survives first contact - that’s the joke, right? Well clients will take the material and as professionals, we listen to what they inject and we follow the lead. There is some room for more focused adventures, but results will vary. I think people can misread the provided examples as the rule of law and run the risk of feeling that railroading is the best option. I think this misses the point of showing how the narrative can guide the goals as opposed to the story being the only goal work. I do not feel thuis is the point of CC. CC shows again possibilities, not a limited end result.
If you’re considering this like a sound element of a treatment plan, it has to first be replicable and verifiable. It can’t just be presented as “this kinda helps.” That’s not how efficacious treatment works. There needs to be an established causal, or at least strongly positive correlational, link between the exercise and its beneficial impact. That’s just part of modern psych practice, and it’s something the Adams would know from their schooling.
I get why you have to make a claim and support it with specifics and regularity. I can’t treat someone with snake oil. But the roleplaying game side of this causes that to fall apart pretty quickly. Too many variables, too much difference between sessions and groups. Every game with kids is inherently its own thing. We might call it “anti-canon” in our circles. In theory, I can claim that a monster was designed to teach a specific lesson and maybe even prove that it has a specific effect. But that’s not the same as saying it exclusively has that effect across the general population.
Honestly, and unfortunately, this attitude and approach can limit the efficacy of treatments like this by not fully engaging with what they offer, and what the participants create on their own. A monster or a scenario may teach X and it may teach Y, but in an RPG I have to admit that it might also teach Z on a situational basis and have some additional impact. This monster might be specifically about collaboration or sharing but it could also be about individual creative problem solving.
But on the other hand, they’re doing something very smart by recommending you eventually transition to 5th edition. It’s a tacit admission that the game doesn’t have to be everything. It’s better to market and present the game as focusing on a specific area rather than admitting that RPG sessions exercise a vast array of skills. They chose their market correctly, I think, by designing it for teachers and counselors rather than trying to explain the “general benefits.” And I think Critical Core is far and away the best “game” of its kind so far.
As for designing encounters to teach a specific lesson, that’s just the politics of tool assessment and the choices made by the instructor. I would probably take their prescriptions under advisement, but not limit myself to them.
It is limiting and marginalizing -- and often causes distress to go back and identify a single thing. Stumbling upon strengths and affinities through roleplaying is something inherent, and when you’re actively trying to make something appear you often lose track of the narrative and more pastime enjoyment factors.
If I was attempting to introduce tabletop gaming into a school or if my population was children on the autism spectrum or managing other emotional or developmental challenges, then definitely. The way Critical Core is written, I could deliver the contents with confidence that somebody new could pick it up and run it with the intended benefits. It’s difficult to properly prepare another to run a system the way you would. This is built for consistency and easily introducing RPGs.
If I wanted to run a game with friends or adults, then it’s unlikely I would use it. I personally have a great deal of experience with various RPGs. Critical Core is an RPG bridge for newcomers to cross or for a younger group. I’m already deep in tabletop territory.
I probably would not directly, unless I was working with very new to RPG clients. This is not in any way to mar the system. We have had more experienced players come to us as clients, so the learning curve would be lost on them. Also, the lack of a character creation system would not be usable for these clients. If we were to have younger clients who needed more introduction or teaching, then it would be a good system to use. We also believe mostly in using systems not often seen as some systems give options through mechanics and settings to touch on skills and goals differently. For example, we use Kids on Bikes because some of our clients don’t care for fantasy and they love Stranger Things.
I don’t do as much work with kids as I did before; right now I prefer working with adults. But my co-founder, Alex, could make great use of some of the tools Critical Core includes.
Never.
There hasn’t been a single approach to date of creating a simplified system by any sort of mental health professional that hasn’t distracted from the pure enrichment of the activity. Safety tools and fonts without serifs do more for every neurodivergent player than this ever will.
Sure, there have been systems that educate us on accessibility and history - but as far as this goes -- it very much has felt like a way of ensuring they can continue their research and development. My previous collaborator and I were very careful with our copy for our program, because we felt that this approach was manipulative and divisive.
Absolutely – I’ve already touched on this, but the material is manualized to create universal results. It’s easily accessible and adding your own lesson plan will take some practice, but the foundation is strong. One could be teaching about geology and the players have ventured into some Dwarven city in the mountain after a plea for aid. Then begin explaining the differences between the stalagmites and stalactites. There are some miners excavating nickel, but what impact does that have on the vegetation in the area? Its detrimental effects are the cause of some forest guardian from above attacking the mine. There are lots of opportunities to insert learning into your scenarios.
Yes. Especially if someone seems or feels overwhelmed by the largeness of D and D or other RPGs. I think it is good for parents. I would caution as I have mentioned that CC is an intro system and can branch out to other systems. It will require a little work to translate this over, but I think for parents and younger people it is a great approach to learning the flow of RPG but other systems would be needed to catapult them further. I have found more players want to create their own characters.
Because of the limitations I discussed earlier, Critical Core likely cannot step beyond its prescriptive capacities. I think it’s entirely possible for a teacher or instructor to get full use out of Critical Core’s systems. But someone who isn’t familiar with RPGs will struggle to implement the lessons of Critical Core.
In fact, I think the average GM would be able to make use of this more effectively than the average non-gaming teacher or counselor. It’s not just marketing. This seems like a legitimately useful tool. But when the rubber hits the road I feel like Critical Core might fall apart, in terms of its teaching framework.
As soon as someone tries to negotiate with the bad guy instead of fighting them, then it is up to the GM to adapt to that situation and create a new “curriculum” on the fly. That’s a big ask for most folks. GMing is a difficult skill that can take years to master, especially in an educational or therapeutic environment. To expect a regular teacher to be able to handle the GM requirements that Critical Core expects is not realistic.
To be clear, I don’t think Critical Core is ineffective or harmful. I just think it would fall apart in most use cases. It might still be a good game and have many positive benefits, but the specific lessons being described in Critical Core are difficult to communicate properly for a new GM. In order for Critical Core to succeed, it needs to teach counselors and teachers how to GM well, first and foremost.
If someone hasn’t played and run RPGs extensively before, then I would not recommend Critical Core. Rather I would instead recommend they develop the RPG skills needed; go GM a few games for several years. Do some one shots and some campaign play. Familiarize yourself with 5e as that’s what Critical Core explicitly leads into. Then when you have those skills you’ll be able to benefit from the tools that Critical Core can offer.
Game to Grow should maybe look into offering some kind of accreditation class? That could be a powerful way to ensure facilitators get the most use out of Critical Core.
Role Playing Games, every single one is a beautiful, unique and dynamic teaching aid -- this is marketing.
Why did Wizards Of The Coast make Ajani into a Phyrexian sleeper agent?
If I could role play with any group of persons historical, they would be - Groucho Marx, George Carlin, Rob Paulsen and Jim Henson. The level of improv, comedy and meaning to a session like that would be incredible. Such great inspiring minds with messages would be a treat to sit around a table with.
Nope, I got to say everything I wanted to say!
Why has there become this standard for how long and how many players when playing with young people and neurodivergent adults?
I aggressively disagree with the mandation of a 90 minute game, and the limitation of 4 players. As a facilitator with pre-teen to young adults -- allowing the children to be able to have conflict resolution amongst themselves and reinforcing a secure environment will always triumph over the cannibalizing of anybody’s game. I have pages of anecdotes of children going above and beyond to offer emotional support and community for one another, especially when one of them is struggling -- and am deeply disheartening by the power that is focused around their utility as a games facilitator.
Several years ago I was running An Altogether Different River with a bunch of pre-teens, and I had a therapeutic aid there. Not only did he escalate issues during the game, he consistently broke immersion to the point that all the players quietly asked if he could “not play with them anymore, because he was making everybody feel like they were being judged.”
You don’t need another system, you need adults that have the tools and experience to provide an enriching environment -- it seems like they just want money.
At the moment, our channel Dege Time, which showcases roleplaying games while teaching therapeutic benefits, is showing Strixhaven. The players attend a magical university where they’ve all become library employees and we demonstrate how to have fun with very little combat. We have a few more games in store for our second season and will begin a third season in the winter. We’re also going to be at the Save Against Fear Convention this October in PA!
We are currently developing our own proprietary role playing game called Branch Riders, an exciting setting where players travel between 8 distinct realms and battle an enemy called the Blight through the use of unique attributes called Approaches and their skills or gifts. The Blight is a presence that seeks to cause disarray and mischief. Branch Riders must battle them and reduce their impact on the citizens of the realms while maintaining secrecy to prevent the blight from tearing the curtain between realms and uniting against us all! We plan to launch the system for playtest in October of this year and are hoping for a 2023 KS launch.
[Laughs] Always and yet not really. I’m working on a digital education and onboarding suite for Sean McCoy to teach Mothership to new players. I just finished fact checking an upcoming book from MIT Press about the history of TTRPGs from OD&D through to today. One of these days I’ll eventually get back to my series of interviews with designers, Not Pretty But Wonderful, both conducting them and transcribing them for an eventual - seemingly very far off - book. Always more projects, never enough time.
I really enjoyed chatting with these folks; their knowledge and experience is invaluable! I’m even more excited now for the potential that RPGs have yet to fully explore. Definitely reach out to them if you have more questions or are looking for their expertise.
This concludes our Critical Core review. You can learn more about Critical Core here.
Thanks for reading! In case you missed Part 1, check it out here.
]]>Part 2 features interviews with several counselors, therapists, and teachers who have used RPGs as a teaching tool. We do a much deeper dive on how well Critical Core accomplishes its primary goals.
When I saw the Critical Core pitch on Kickstarter I was immediately hooked.
Critical Core is a tabletop role-playing game designed to help kids on the autism spectrum build social skills and confidence. It’s a great way for parents to engage with their children at home, and for professionals and experienced gamers to use as a group social skills tool.
Obviously, I’m passionate about the positive impact that RPGs can have. I’ve personally benefited from the community and storytelling that emerges from a gaming table. Additionally, my wife has experience working as a behavioral therapist with special needs children. For us, even if Critical Core was a massive failure, we were excited to learn from it and see how Game to Grow tackles this challenge and what we can learn from it.
Thankfully, Critical Core makes some unique design decisions that surprised and delighted me. I learned a few things I hope to apply to my future projects, and I’m excited to share some of those lessons with you, dear reader!
Important Disclaimer: Critical Core is designed to be used by individuals of all training and education backgrounds. Playing role-playing games of any kind can support tremendous growth when played in a safe and welcoming atmosphere and guided by a skilled facilitator. Critical Core contains many tips, tricks, and tools to encourage growth in individuals who are playing at your gaming table. However we must make it very clear: No part of Critical Core gives you permission, either tacit or explicit, to perform therapy without the training or license required in your state or region.
At first glance there’s a lot about Critical Core that is…boring.
And I’ll get the bad news out of the way first: Critical Core is difficult to recommend to experienced RPG players. The adventures are not particularly exciting or innovative, the rules are simpler than 5e but still more complex than most OSR fare, and the GM advice is stuff that an experienced GM already knows.
However, Critical Core wasn’t made for me. It is laser targeted towards teachers, counselors, and therapists who think “Dungeons and Dragons” is a demonic sex-thing.
The real question is: “How well does Critical Core explain RPGs to non-nerds?” This aspect is what I hoped to learn from the most.
If you hated the above phrase, then you’ll dismiss a lot of the important work Critical Core is doing! First, Critical Core rightly emphasizes the important role of the Game Master.
The most unique aspect of TTRPGs like Critical Core is the special role of the game master. The game master is a player who guides the other players through a narrative story composed of a series of individual scenes called encounters. In each encounter, the game master establishes an obstacle that the characters must overcome.
And then come the charts. SO MANY CHARTS! It really does remind me of reading high-school textbooks.
They even include a cheeky acronym: “GMs have S.P.A.R.K.!”. This kind of information presentation felt…goofy to me. Their language is not dry per say, but it’s not as…gritty as what our community tends to use, such as: “The answer is not on your character sheet”, “Rulings over Rules”, “Combat as war”, etc.
Critical Core emphasizes a few things much more firmly than your average GM guide. For example, they stress that gaming sessions should be 90 minutes long. A game shouldn’t have more than 4 players. They insist that the GM do funny voices and gesticulate. Every 10 or 15 pages includes a summary of all the rules covered so far.
It’s clearly presented with lots of examples and bits of advice scattered throughout. I do think it’s lacking a lot of GM advice that I’ve found useful. It spends about a dozen pages explaining the rules of the game, combat, turn order, damage, dice rolling, etc. But it only spends one or two pages distilling GM advice.
For example, core GMing concepts like “Failing Forward” or “Yes, And” are never discussed. But the book spends a page talking about “Quantum Quandaries”.
The first suggestion should never be the answer, no matter how clever it may be. Every suggestion from the players should get them closer to an answer, even if they fail their roll. When players work together to find a solution, or one player gives up their action in order to help someone else, they should be rewarded with Advantage or a much greater chance of success.
I…don’t think this is very good GM advice. If the first suggestion makes sense, then the GM should allow it! It’s disappointing that many of the improvements we’ve made in teaching effective GM principles is absent in Critical Core.
It’s not ALL bad, it’s just kinda…banal.
However one innovation that I am a fan of is the role of the Facilitator.
Critical Core goes out of its way to separate the role of GM and the role of “Facilitator”.
The guide admits that the GM and the Facilitator will often be the same person, but explaining them separately is very clever. Personally I love the idea of being a GM while someone more qualified is focused on the players. And I can imagine a teacher being relieved that they don’t have to deal with dice math and goblin voices.
While most of the Facilitator’s guide covers their teaching framework, a few other parts surprised me.
The section titled “Speaking to Therapists and Teachers about Critical Core” was mind-blowing to read. It covers some of the negative stigma that RPGs have, how to overcome that stigma, how to pitch the game to suspicious teachers, etc. It’s only 2-3 pages long but I’ve NEVER seen anything like it. And it gave me a lot of tools I plan to use for future game pitches (especially in a school/counseling setting).
Another surprise was the rigid structure they build around each game session. These are rituals that should occur every session:
These rituals are a great idea for helping players get into the right headspace for a game, and something I definitely want to include in my own games. Of course, we all do this naturally, but seeing it spelled out and detailed was enlightening. This section is followed by a robust set of safety tools, something I was relieved to see.
For more info on how well Critical Core implements it’s educational goals, definitely read the interviews in Part 2.
In my review of The Isle I praised its minimal layout. By contrast, the adventures in Critical Core are almost overwhelming with how information is presented. Some information is even repeated multiple times within a single spread!
Each adventure spread is a single encounter. Not a single region or dungeon or hex…just one encounter; a room, a fight, a puzzle, etc. I’ve read OSR adventures that would fit this same amount of content into one sentence or a table entry! What could be the logic behind this extravagant waste of space and letters?
Let’s look at an encounter from the first adventure module. Every encounter has a similar layout with a similar amount of text. If this were an OSR adventure, I would describe the encounter like this:
The flower the PCs have been looking for grows on the roof of an old witch’s hut. This old witch never leaves her home, hurling insults and summoning slimes from inside. Plucking the flower from the top of her roof will be tricky, and if the PCs take too long the witch teleports away, taking her house and slimes with her.
Here is how Critical Core presents that scenario:
There’s a LOT going on here, but each part is intended to be referenced at a glance when needed.
Including time management/difficult tweaks for every single encounter is a fascinating addition! And it’s not just for combat encounters; advice like “have the mayor already know what is happening” or “The necromancer already has the parts they need for their ritual” make it much more likely that GMs can keep things moving along. This makes a lot more sense when you recall that sessions are only 90 minutes long.
Honestly I might steal this idea for some of my own adventures. Pacing is a difficult skill for GMs, and something that designers like myself could provide assistance. Definitely worth thinking about.
The Facilitator sections were my favorite parts to read. I tend to design encounters for novelty; scenarios that feel fresh and exciting. But for Critical Core each encounter teaches a specific skill and notes how it encourages growth. My favorite example comes from another encounter:
Encounter: There is an invisible ghost in the room. The ghost can open the door to the next room, but they must be convinced.
The Facilitator section instructs the GM to pick the shyest, quietest player as the only one who can interact with the ghost. This encourages one player to take the lead and interpret between the GM and the other players, giving that player a chance to lead and shine. Encounters like this really demonstrate how Critical Core is very deliberate about helping its players grow their social skills.
Unfortunately, as I said earlier, it’s hard to recommend these adventures to an experienced GM who wants unique and exciting adventures. Critical Core is laser-focused on explaining RPGs to a non-nerd audience who plan to use it as a teaching tool.
Thus a lot of my “criticisms” are just simply features that Critical Core is emphasizing.
Lastly, the box set is made of quality materials. The cards, dice, booklets, maps, and pre-made characters are all very nice. Having everything in a box instead of a single book makes it WAY easier for players to just jump in and start playing.
I especially like the Spell cards. Players can easily see what spells they have available and which ones can be used. I wish they had done cards for equipment as well; might help players onboard even faster.
Take my review and impressions with a grain of salt. I am not qualified to speak on it’s most important features; the theraputic tools and applications. For that, I interviewed a panel of experts in Part 2!
]]>That same goblin in my brain sometimes prevents me from finding value in smaller games.
And you may have a similar goblin yelling in your own brain when you look at Nate Treme’s work. I urge you to ignore that goblin.
On his itch.io store Nate has over 40 products available: adventures, spells, NPCs, rules, bestiaries, OSR, lyric games, sci-fi, weird fantasy, steampunk, and everything in between. And that’s just on his Itch. As a an occasional Patron of Nate’s, he is constantly releasing small, high-quality supplements that regularly impress and inspire me.
The man will not stop making cool shit.
However, it’s easy to listen to the little goblin in your brain and ignore his creations because of their small stature. Many rulebooks and adventures fit on a single page, or even a single business card.
He doesn’t make filler, of any kind, for any reason. You JUST get the good stuff. This creative strategy lets Nate completely finish a project and then move on to the next cool idea. He never gets stuck in one place, never stagnates, and continually surprises me with whatever he invents next.
And yet that stupid goblin in my brain struggles to see the value. It would rather have 150 pages of crap and filler than 1 page of genius. If only I could kill the goblin in my brain…
Well. That’s convenient!
Games Omnivorous collected a TON of Nate’s best work into a big beautiful omnibus.
Within its 200 pages it contains:
For the goblin in your own brain, if you bought all of these things from his itch page indivudually you’d pay $127. But Haunted Almanac is just $40.
Now that we’ve satisfied the goblin in your brain, let’s actually take a look at this beautiful book.
Games Omnivorous (specifically Guilherme Gontijo) is famous for their high quality production, but I think Haunted Almanac stands out even among their impressive catalogue.
Further along I’ll share some spreads from the book and you’ll see the brilliant magazine-style that makes each spread feel fresh and unique.
So…how can I review everything that’s in here? It’s a LOT of stuff! I don’t dare try to cover everything.
Instead I’m going to list ONE thing that I love about every piece; whether it be a single monster, a cool idea, a funny joke, or bit of art. This is not even the best part of each game, just my personal favorite detail.
Let’s do this!
Tunnel Goons: Difference between roll and DC is the damage dealt. A genius simplification that keeps the game moving.
Moldy Unicorn: This was my first Nate Treme book that I ever read! The barroom encounters are an absolute riot.
Astral Curse of the Iron Gnomes: There is an enemy that uses pieces of itself to form minions scattered about. When you kill a minion, it dissolves into a puddle and slowly crawls back to be reabsorbed, leading players right to the monster.
Eternal Caverns of Urk: The peoples of Urk table could be used for any weird little village. Example result.
Up from the Muck: The primary reward is a marriage alliance.
The Forgotten Shrine of the Slime Toad: The most valuable treasure is this weird snot that gets you high.
Shrine of the Black Hound: In a mirror the Pcs see a strange creature following them. If addressed, the being gives them an helpful clue. I also love that the key reward is summoning a great hound that will kill a creature of their choice.
Viridia’s Garden: A gardening lich is making plantling goblins.
Prole: There is a really clever bit of design where the page appears to be transparent, but isn’t? Hard to explain, but it’s beautiful and striking and I WILL steal it.
Pilgrims of the Nighted Path: Candy acts as XP, health, and currency all at the same time. Also it’s neat to see kids interacting with truly scary things, rather than just “it was all a dream” nonsense.
Welcome to Loden: The “villain” is just a simple miscommunication. Also a skeleton marching band is the big reward.
In the Light of a Ghost Star: Exploring a haunted earth using sci-fi rules is really neat and evocative. I also love the character sheet design.
Radikal Quest: The class names are *chefs kiss*.
Automaton: Reminds me a little of my own game, Kintsugi. We need more goofy robots at our tables.
Brim & Feather: DO NOT SPEAK TO THE TREES UNLESS THE SKY IS OVERCAST!
Mecha Dudes: You must use these rules with an official D&D adventure that was obtained illegally. HA!
Snail Knight: An almost-boardgame with great maps.
Neanderthal: Your stats are STR, DEX, FIRE.
NOSR: Instead of HP you track energy, which can be used to cast spells. Kinda like Troika!, which I love.
Wander: The luck spell can be used to add OR remove luck from a target.
Smol Business: The goblin illustration belongs as a tattoo somewhere secret.
Yeggs: The font and art of Yeggs really evokes this dirty, British crime drama. Kinda like the movie “Snatch”.
Sequencer: Another board-gamey idea with a GORGEOUS board design.
East of East: The entire adventure is inspired by a quote from The Hobbit. As an aside, I’ve always wanted to make a game based on this line from Gandalf: “There are many things in the deep waters; and seas and lands may change.”
The Lost Isle: The Titan Sword is a location in the books. I like to imagine it’s the same sword from his newer work, “Kozmik”.
Doomlands: The robots in this setting looks more like mars rovers than humanoids. Also the desert map is beautifully abstract while also being really useful.
Stolen City: The “cover art” of this section is really beautiful and sells the tone.
Sweet Bark Island: There is a wizard who dances in the moonlight every night to summon The Moon Queen. The adventure is delightfully ambiguous about whether this strategy will be successful.
Bad Frog Bargain: The town well was cursed and anyone who drinks from it experiences a range of bizarre effects. When I run this I will make sure that the players are the FIRST to discover this phenomena!
Beneath the Mausoleum: There’s a fun escalation where a corpse is tangled in a giant spiderweb. Then in the next room the giant spider corpse is covered in a bunch of spears. A cute little rise in danger from one room to another.
Barrow of the Elf King: A group of bored skeleton guards use passive aggressive language to convince intruders to leave. “Okay now, it’s getting late. Time to go. We’re very tired.”
Cursed Chapel of the Sludge Mother: There is a machine that can be powered up and released from the dungeon. If the players follow it they’ll learn that it was programmed to hunt dragons! I love the idea of players follwing this robot around, taking all the dragon hoards after it completes each mission.
Death Chemick Gas Station: I love the map. The metal pipes and tubes remind me of Doctor Suess illustrations.
Fever Black Mountain: After the initial intro to the adventure, it immediately follows that up with “That’s the lie told to unwary travelers”. Very fun start to a solid adventure.
Lair of the Sad Mage: The font used makes you work to read it; evoking the arcane secrets that are contained within.
Temple of the Bat Serpent: ASCII dungeon art! I love it!
The Mephitic Laboratory of the Pescamancer: The big scary is absent, giving the dungeon a mystery vibe rather than a boss fight.
The Primeval Holt of the Elk Lord: A primary export of the nearby forest is rubber, so you get LOTS of funky rubber items. It’s a fun change from metal/wood loot.
Thalassic Zigurat of the Lost Prince: A magical food called a “Surgeon’s Apple” makes your skin transparent.
Tomb of the Swine Prophet: The questgiver starts things off by admitting he told another adventuring party about the hidden treasure first, making this a race to the goal.
What Child is this?: My absolute favorite adventure by Nate. The concept and execution is just so brilliant and funny while still being dangerous and difficult. I won’t spoil anything here.
Unwanted Magical Companions: An overbearing guardian angel that smothers you.
Monster Maker: I rolled and got a Purple Smoke Bear who couldn’t care less.
Spells of the Inverted Mountain: Lifetaker must be cast on a child 3 months old or younger. When the caster next sleeps, their mind is switched with the child’s. I shudder to think of a player using this on the baby from What Child is This.
I’m so thankful that the Haunted Almanac gave me the opportunity to explore more of Nate’s catalog of wonders. I wish I could have seen the value before they were collected in this beautiful tome, but better late than never I guess. Don’t make the same mistake I did!
Defeat the value goblin in your brain and purchase a copy of the Haunted Almanac from Exalted Funeral or Games Omnivorous.
]]>The Mothership RPG has been an indie darling for a while now. It’s a rules-light horror game that grew popular because of the incredibly well-presented adventures that pack 200 pages of content into a 30pg zine. Seriously, check them out. They are DENSE with quality content.
I avoided Mothership at first because I don’t like horror; neither do most of my players. A lot of horror games just don’t seem…fun? If the game fails to be scary (which it will if I GM it), then there’s nothing else there for players to latch on to. “Your character dies in some horrific way. Congrats?”
I played Mothership a few years back with a group of friends. We enjoyed the character creation and the start of the adventure, but the game fell apart very quickly. My players often failed their rolls, they didn’t get very far into the adventure, death was swift, and I didn’t understand how to run the game. We gave up after an hour. Since then I’ve enjoyed reading their adventure, stealing some layout ideas, and seeing the vibrant community that’s risen around the game.
But it definitely wasn’t for me.
Fast forward to a few months ago. I saw the Mothership Kickstarter make big waves and blast through stretch goal after stretch goal. I also heard they were finally publishing a GM guide and my interest was piqued.
“What had I done wrong last time? What key info was I missing? SO many people enjoy this, there must be a secret.”
I backed the Kickstarter and resolved to run a game ASAP. Around the same time my friend asked me to run an 8-hour RPG session for his bachelor party, and I decided to try out Mothership and crack the code.
However I still don’t particularly enjoy horror, and the bachelor requested a more action-oriented gaming session. I already owned copies of Pound of Flesh and Dead Planet. But I needed a Mothership adventure that didn’t take itself too seriously.
Enter Desert Moon of Karth.
I grabbed Desert Moon of Karth because I needed one more product to qualify for free shipping from Exalted Funeral and the cover art sold me. It reminded me of my own game, Clink, and I’m a sucker for westerns.
As it turns out, Karth not only provides a fresh and exciting sci-fi romp, it was also the secret ingredient I needed to unlock Mothership. First, some details about Karth:
As a bulleted list you might think, “Hmmm, not bad. Not bad at all.” But you wouldn’t really understand the true value of this book.
Karth oozes charm. Every location has depth. Every NPC is nuanced or weird. Random encounters draw you deeper into the factions and encourage you to visit other locations. Every page has a dozen ideas to fuel your GM inspiration.
I’ll repeat myself again: There is a sweet spot for how much information the GM needs to run a game. Too much info and the GM has to cut out the cruft and take a bunch of notes. Too little info and the GM is making it up anyway, so why buy the adventure?
Karth really nails that sweet spot with a mixture of familiar cliches to keep everyone on the same page sprinkled in with unexpected weirdness.
For example, the image above lists 10 different buildings in the city. But notice how each building contains a kind of depth that draws you in
And that’s just from ONE of the locations in the book. Everything has this unique blend of familiar tropes and fresh, unexpected ideas that make it easy to run on the fly.
And on top of all that, it’s funny. I mean, it’s REALLY funny. Humor can be difficult in RPGs, but what makes Karth so special is that the rules act as the straight man while the adventure is making funny faces in the background. It’s often dark humor, of course, and with the proper tone a lot of these jokes will just come off as creepy.
For example: At an isolated farmhouse there is a woman who will rent the players some mounts. Her husband is frozen in a cryo chamber, but she talks to him like he’s still conscious. Secretly, she hopes he never wakes up.
It’s rare to see something so flexible in an RPG product. Of course, for the bachelor party, everything was very goofy and light-hearted.
Here are three things I was doing wrong when I played Mothership the first time, as well as how I improved my game:
Find the right adventure. This can seem obvious, but when the creators of Mothership release an adventure module, I assumed that THIS was the intended experience. I applaud Mothership and other indie games for embracing the third-party community and expanding what a gaming experience can be.
Panic Often. Despite my fears, the d20 Panic Check was really fun. There’s a funny dynamic where players obviously don’t like having to make a panic check…but at the same time they lean forward and hold their breath while I look up the result. It was a really healthy tension that can drive home more consequences than just “you take damage”. When the game gets slow or tension wanes, introduce something new to the game and call for a panic check. See the 4-armed duelist for a good example further down.
GM: “The sandsquid charges towards you. It will eat Bieffe and rip your speeder in half. What do you do?”
Then the players can each take a turn in any order to try and prevent that. “I shoot it in the eyes as someone else swings the skiff to the side.” This keeps combat from just being damage back and forth, encouraging players to find solutions rather than just die rolls. It also means that if when they fail the consequences can be severe. You hardly need damage rolls, just describe what happens.
To drive the point home, here’s a summary of our play session. Everyone had a good time, and we hope we can meet up again to continue our tale. I had a really big d20 for Panic Checks, and we used the poker chips to track stress.
Karth inclues a TON of maps and handouts that really helped bring the whole experience to another level. We had 4 players, one of whom had never played an RPG before.
All four characters want to get away from the Imperium, so they hire Captain Kelly to transport them “anywhere far from here and potentially profitable.” Kelly agrees and thinks Karth will be the perfect destination. “There’s a bit of a gold rush happening there”, Kelly explains, “And I bet together we can all make a little money.”
The players are put into cryo sleep and the ship leaves for its 6 month journey. 5 years later, the characters awaken from cryo and make their first Panic Check.
This was when I realized that Panic Checks are more fun than I expected and a good way to draw players into the moment.
After they leave their chambers they are met with a battered Captain Kelly. He’s been through hell and is missing an arm. “That’s not all”, Kelly explains, “We crashed on this miserable rock and a sandsquid ate my special medallion! Without that medallion we’ll never be able to leave the planet.”
He walks the players outside to show them the wreck and the surrounding desert. He picks up an old gas tank and lights the bottom. The tank launches into the air. When it reaches 600’ in the air a laser beam comes out of nowhere and blows it up.
“If we don’t get that medallion back, we’ll be here forever. Hopefully y’all are more successful than my last batch of assistants.” Kelly gestures towards the cargo hold of half-empty cryo pods. “Here’s a few credits. Go into town and get supplies. When you return, we’ll hunt that old squid down and get off this rock.”
Monte and Aleos search through the ship and discover some unused speeder bikes lying in the corner. They can’t ride them for fear of attracting sandsquid, but they dismantle the bikes for parts and hope to sell them. Egon and Bieffe are eager to get started, and they begin their trek through the mountains towards town.
On the slopes of the shallow mountain range they discover the wreck of an old shipwreck.
After a Panic Check when the drone goes invisible, the group comes up with a plan. Egon will throw the toxic waste on the drone to expose its circuits, Monte will hack the drone to disable it, while Aleos and Bieffe prepare to shoot it if all else fails.
As an aside, this little skirmish is the PERFECT example of how Mothership spirals out of control in a fun way. The drone was a minor threat, but because of Panic Checks and a few bad rolls we got this dramatic and dangerous scenario where the combatants are on fire, running in terror, or simply confused. All without any complex turns or damage rolls.
After gathering themselves and some of their scavenged treasures, the players continue into town.
Larstown is a dusty hub of commerce and a vague reminder of civilization. In fact, as the players walk down main street they find themselves in the middle of a drunken duel.
The duelist closest to them turns and offers an extra pistol. “There’s money in it if you help me!”
Aleos moves to accept the pistol, but the duelest is killed and the pistol falls into the dirt. “If you pick up that pistol you’ll be dust!” threatens a large scarred man.
No one to be intimidated, the players immediately begin spreading out and looking for an opening. Just as they’re about to overwhelm the scarred man, he lets his cloak fall to the ground and reveals a second set of arms with a pistol in each hand!
After a Panic Check, the players manage to disarm the scarred man and take his pistols. The scarred man has nothing else to offer in exchange for his life…except that the mayor owes him a favor.
Now the mayor owes the players a favor, and the four-armed man limps away. The players split up for the night.
After drinking and healing, Monte, Aleos, and Egon wander the streets for a while. They see a shifty-looking man dragging a wet bag to the edge of town. The players follow the man, and watch as he throws the wet bag over the side of the wall.
When confronted, the man claims he’s simply taking out some trash. Suspicious, the players walk around the wall to see what was in the bag. Bones, cybernetic implants, and the occasional organ fills the bag.
After a Panic Check the players decide to show this bag to the mayor. However, when they re-enter the town the man bars their way. He has 2 large mercs with guns pointed at them. “Want to help me feed the hagfish?” he asks threateningly.
As the mercs escort the players to the fish tanks, the shifty-looking man explains how hagfish need a variety of nutrients to stay healthy. Many of these nutrients can be found in the human body, and would they mind sacrificing their lives for the good of the town?
As they pass the hospital, Monte screams for help into the night, hoping the android doctor will hear them. After a Panic Check, the situation devolves into a scramble of shots and pain.
Moments later Marshall Clark, head of the local marines, arrives with some troops and disarms the situation. The hagfish man is taken to jail, and the players are told to visit Marshall in the morning.
As the sun rises Bieffe emerges from the inn feeling refreshed and rested. The rest of the party isn’t so lucky. They visit Marshall and learn that the hagfish man “is an important part of the town’s economy” and won’t be pressing charges against the players.
Marshall offers the players an old laser cannon to help them take down a squid. “The less sand-suckers around here, the better” he says while chomping on a damp cigar. “But I can’t give it away for free, just a steep discount.”
The group heads to the general store to sell their treasures and try to get enough money for the cannon. Tami, the store owner, is delighted to see them and buy their speeder parts, weird tracking device, and extra guns.
After a few failed attempts at flirting, Tami introduces Bieffe to her shotgun. Bieffe passes his Panic Check, and the group manages to leave the store before things escalate.
A great example of how Panic Checks can just be a fun way to up the tension; they don’t necessarily need to happen during life and death moments.
The players buy the cannon and a medium-sized speeder to mount it. They head back to Kelly’s crashed ship.
Of course, the speeder attracts all kind of attention, including a few sandsquid, but our session was coming to a close. So the players made 3 consecutive Panic Checks to represent their hectic journey.
They return to find Kelly drunk out of his mind, mumbling about “preparation” and cleaning his harpoon gun. They throw Kelly into the speeder and set out to kill the sandsquid.
Things get pretty hectic once the beast arrives, but here’s an overview:
The party continues to attack the squid (from within and without). Eventually the Squid dies and empties itself upon the sand. Bieffe, Monte, and Kelly’s special medallion are expelled from the disgusting corpse.
Aleos and Egon pick them up and return to Kelly’s ship. They take off from the desert and fly into the sunset; free men at last.
For future adventures, the players now have a ship and a special medallion that lets them enter and leave Karth freely. Certainly our boys could turn this into a profitable opportunity!
Mothership is good. Get it here.
Karth is good. Get it here.
Bachelor parties are fun. May Bieffe and is real-life wife enjoy many happy years together!
]]>My only complaint is that I found the adventure itself to be very grim. There are a lot of unpleasant rooms and minimal opportunities for rest or joy. This adventure is also very gross, in the same way that a gory B-movie is gross: quivering sphincters, squelching flesh, bloody mounds, etc.
I probably won’t run it (since I prefer a lighter beer-n-pretzels kind of game), but I could see a lot of groups really digging the vibes here.
The Isle is packed with clever encounters and creatures. A lot of monsters have ways they can be avoided or defeated outside of combat. Traps have multiple solutions. The rooms have many connections and secret passages. The entire thing just drips with smart design.
There’s a LOT of good stuff here, I just didn’t like the tone/vibes of the overall adventure.
With that out of the way, there are two things I am excited to talk about:
Minimal presentation
The Isle’s “novel” approach
Starting with the most obvious aspect of the book:
It is commonly accepted wisdom that tabletop rpgs require artwork to inspire the reader. This is particularly true when most readers will end up running the game for other players who haven’t read the book themselves. The stronger we can make that initial impression, the easier time the GM will have passing it along to their table.
And for the most part, I agree with this. Way back in 2014 I attempted to publish a version of Mythic Mortals that didn’t have any art (except for a handful of awkward public domain pieces). It…was not well received. The need for art prompted me to launch my first Kickstarter campaign. The rest is history.
The Isle is the first time since 2014 that I have ever questioned the need for artwork in a module.
For one, Luke Gearing’s purple prose is so evocative that it encourages imagination. Here’s my favorite bit where he describes the Radial Snail:
Radial Snail The sea learned of blades and war from drowned men and sunken ships. She imparted this burden upon snails, who grew to the ize of dogs. The bent bronze blades cast into the ocean in supplication for countless centuries of sins coalesced around them, and became their shells. HD 4. AC 8. Always act last.
DAMN! I have this image of snail shells wrought from twisted swords and bent shields. Is it an EXACT description? No, but its EVOCATIVE. I fill in the gaps with my own imagination and the resulting image is seared into my brain.
Your mileage my vary; sometimes Luke’s prose slides off my brain and leaves no impact. But for the large majority, I have a strong impression of whatever monster/room/treasure he’s describing.
The lack of art and layout lend even more weight to his words.
It also leads into the discussion about reading vs playing.
While I don’t fully agree with Skerple’s “3 Types of Module”, it is useful in communicating my point:
I’ve reviewed a bunch of modules without playing them. But I never read modules for entertainment. RPG content is “heavy” for lack of a better term. Rules must be referenced multiple times before they stick, maps double checked for how rooms connect, and monster details written down. Consuming RPG books is engaging but rarely relaxing in the same way that a novel would be.
But I actually READ The Isle. I enjoyed it in the same way I would enjoy a novel. After some thought, I think this happened for a two reasons:
First, the lack of artwork and complex layout encouraged my brain to just read the words in order, page after page. I rarely had to flip pages to reference something else, and the comfortable text size and spacing were easy on my eyes.
Second, Luke wrote the entire thing like a novel, complete with foreshadowing, narrative arcs, and plot twists. I know that sounds crazy, but hear me out!
The adventure starts off with ZERO introduction. Most modules will start with an overview of the adventure, some of the key points, advice for the group, how to run it as a one-shot, etc. The Isle has an extremely brief intro, more like the intake of breath before a song than a proper prologue.
Because there is no overview at the beginning, I felt like I was discovering the adventure as I read. Luke would describe some detail and then a few pages later reveal its true significance. Here’s a few examples:
A lot of adventures do this; foreshadowing is a key part of design. But the minimal presentation and lack of introduction makes all of these breadcrumbs stand out like neon signs. Every page gave me more questions to think about; and most of those questions were answered in subsequent pages.
As an aside, I think this kind of adventure format would be PERFECT for a solo RPG. The way forshadowing works is that the reader is in the dark much like the characters are. Truths are revealed over time and the adventure can be enjoyed one page at a time.
I’ve read and reviewed a LOT of adventures, y’all. The Isle felt different than all of them. You owe it to yourself to check this one out.
Personally I hope to see a lot more adventures written this way. It’s an exciting direction for RPGs to take, and could resonate with folks in a brand new way.
Grab The Isle from Spear Witch.
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