Archives
October 23, 2024
Writing Wages
In January, I quit my job to work at Tuesday Knight Games full-time. Wages of Sin (crowdfunding soon!) is my first book written whilst doing games
September 15, 2024
Travel Too!
When travelling, shit goes wrong. Each day (or watch or whatever) of travel, make your encounter roll as normal. In addition, check for a travel
July 8, 2024
Reputation Tables
Instead of a ± to Reaction rolls or whatever, track individual events the characters take. To do this, we first make a Reputation Table. At its most
July 2, 2024
You Don’t Need Hooks, You Have Been Lied To
I’ve seen a lot of critics and readers talk about the strength, quality, quantity and absence of hooks in adventure modules - often held up as an
April 20, 2024
d100 Carousing
Players in my Thursday Whitehack game are going carousing every damn time they get back to Fester, the coastal city of the ghouls. A dinky little
February 27, 2024
Man-Suits of the Flatboat People
When a child has stopped growing, those who wish to live as men must be initiated. First they must find a Shaman 1 and beg from them the use of a
January 20, 2024
When Entering a Polity…
Whenever the PCs enter the domain of a lord, government, municipal council etc etc, roll 1d10. If this is under the average level of the PCs, they
October 25, 2023
Split Initiative
I’ve been doing a thing for a while in OSR Thinking Adventures style games I’ve been calling split initiative which I almost certainly read
September 1, 2023
Mentorship Applications Open
MENTORSHIP APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED I am now open to submissions for round 5 of the mentorship scheme I’ve been running. This is done free of
August 25, 2023
Traveller Animals for the Jungles
Needed an animal encounter table for a job the Travellers are taking in a jungle. The planet is being colonised and has a reputation for the
July 26, 2023
Prison Planet Review
Prison Planet is an adventure for Classic Traveller, first published in 1982 and credited to Erik Wilson, Dave Emigh, John Harshman, Chris Purcell
July 19, 2023
Men
1HD, AC as Armour, Damage as Weapon, Morale 7. 1d100 appearing, rolling again and combining results if 90+ is rolled. From the cities burnt, from
July 14, 2023
Sag River Extreme Cold Research Facility, Alaska.
On October 6th, the agents receive the usual summons: “Special delivery requires pick-up. Unit 798, Eastside Industrial.” Within the unit, the door
July 12, 2023
Pariah Hexfills
These are the hexfills I used for my Pariah game. You can see how the minimal hexfills get used in the play reports. 1203: Learned shamanic baboon
June 21, 2023
Inhuman Violence 2
As is the nature of horror media, it’s time for sequel. I’ve been running a Delta Green campaign using Violence for a little while now, and I’ve run
May 30, 2023
Supplement V: Carcosa
For the unaware, Carcosa features magic rituals requiring sexual violence, sometimes against children. This is discussed below in the abstract. A
May 27, 2023
Wolves Upon the Coast Grand Retrospective 2
It’s been about two years since I started selling Wolves Upon the Coast Grand Campaign, and about 10 months since the last retrospective. I’m not
May 24, 2023
Clerics
The Cleric represents something not present. A representative of an outside force - the Church hierarchy, or a God. The other classes could be
May 19, 2023
Wolves 3rd Party Shit
So you want to make shit (meaning books) for/with Wolves? If you want to just use the rules chassis as its own thing without using the name, feel
May 11, 2023
Writing NPCs
When writing NPCs, you can communicate 2 or 3 things, or 4 related things. Anything more than that, and you’re either going to be ignored by the
April 29, 2023
Haystack, Oregon.
An adventure for Delta Green. I’m running it using Violence. You could run this for any modern paranormal game with a little work: mostly replacing
April 26, 2023
Mentorship 4 - Retrospective
This was the fourth round of an ongoing commitment to mentor ttrpg writers with the goal of growing the space and helping others get published. At
April 16, 2023
Alternative to Boasts
Working on something else, but still unhappy with XP or milestones as normally constructed. There are three criteria for improvement - only the
April 11, 2023
Pariah Session 9 - Play Report
Use the tags to find previous and for some more details. This session mostly consisted of a dungeon - a localised “solid” in the sea of the Beyond.
March 31, 2023
Lime
The Swallowports stud the Dislinear Curve upon the hubward edge of Troika. Where each leads is a closely guarded secret of the centipede-like
March 23, 2023
Bullet Points vs Prose
Because reasons, I’m working on rewrite of Behind Closed Doors. A lot of this involves de-bullet pointing the text. Below I’ve given a side-by-side
March 21, 2023
Pariah Session 8 - Play Report
Use the tags to find previous and for some more details. This session mostly consisted of a dungeon - a localised “solid” in the sea of the Beyond.
March 14, 2023
Pariah Session 7 - Play Report
Use the tags to find previous and for some more details. Hex fills used this session: Llama herds, predated upon by Nameless One in wolf pack.
March 7, 2023
Pariah Session 6 - Play Report
After a 6 week hiatus due to some real-life shenanigans. Use the tags to find previous and for some more details. Hex fills used this session:
February 20, 2023
2. The Screaming Rock
This is just a snippet from the upcoming update to Wolves Upon the Coast Grand Campaign. Screams, warped and amplified and distorted, echo across
January 17, 2023
Pariah Session 5 - Play Report
Use the tags to find previous and for some more details. Hex fills used this session: River Rapids. 42, fishing village - salmon spawning. Nothing.
January 16, 2023
USER.LOG
Every time you are about to use your computer for something, you must first record it in USER.LOG. This is a physical lined notebook stored near the
January 12, 2023
Belgic Wickermen
This is just a snippet from the upcoming update to Wolves Upon the Coast Grand Campaign. Belgic Wickermen are Golems made of ensorcelled branches,
January 4, 2023
The Toothed Wind
Man brought fire with them but they found the Toothed Wind waiting. Some have learnt its language of screams and howls, and are able to invoke it.
December 13, 2022
Pariah Session 4 - Play Report
Use the tags to find previous and for some more details. Hex fills used this session: River Rapids. 42, fishing village - salmon spawning. River
December 13, 2022
Pariah Session 3 - Play Report
Use the tags to find previous and for some more details. Hex fills used this session: Learned shamanic baboon + 14 captives. Flint Mine. River
December 6, 2022
Pariah Session 2 - Play Report
Use the tags to find previous and for some more details. Hex fills used this session: Entrance to Cave Network. 4 Bears give way to Earth. Learned
November 29, 2022
Pariah Session 1 - Play Report
I’m going to try and write play reports more often. I think they’re an important part of the space which we don’t see enough of anymore. Rather than
November 22, 2022
Limited Monsters
At the outset of Wolves, I made the decision to limit myself to only using recurring monsters from Volume 2: Monsters &. Whilst there are the
September 29, 2022
Mentorship Applications Open
APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED I am now open to submissions for round 4 of the mentorship scheme I’ve been running. This is done free of charge to give
September 13, 2022
Journey to the Underelves
On Wednesday lunchtimes I’ve been running an hour-long session of OD&D megadungeon exploration known as Snackrifice. The game has been running for
September 7, 2022
Dagda System
A large snippet from a forthcoming project. Chaos reigns in the Dagda system. Heavy industries poisoned the atmosphere of Eriu, leading to a mass
August 19, 2022
The Inhuman Violence
Update: 03/04/2023 - Endurance is now a single soak which ignores Down and Injury results. Impossible beings respond differently to violence. Any
August 12, 2022
Wolves Upon the Coast Grand Retrospective
It’s been a little less than year since I started selling Wolves Upon the Coast Grand Campaign on itch. Rather than finishing the entire (huge)
July 22, 2022
40.20 Berith, Beleth and Bifronze
This is just a snippet from the upcoming update to Wolves Upon the Coast Grand Campaign. Three names for three crowns, each resting upon one head of
July 12, 2022
Marc Miller Interview & Transcript
Below is an edited transcript of the conversation I had with Marc Miller. The edits mostly cut out interstitial material and are for clarity. This
June 15, 2022
&&&&&&&&& Treasure Released
You can now buy &&&&&&&&& Treasure, the sequel to Volume 2: Monsters &, in physical at Exalted Funeral or as a PDF on my itch.io. If you would
June 15, 2022
Empire Fat
A PDF is available here All of the below to be provided to players. Your employer has identified that the OPPOSITION is preparing to court an Asset
June 10, 2022
35.12 River Temple
This is just a snippet from the upcoming update to Wolves Upon the Coast Grand Campaign. A moss-bearded structure emerges from the river-bend,
May 25, 2022
Warding
A continuation of the system outlined here and used within Wolves Upon the Coast. The base Warding save represents an innate protection against ill
May 17, 2022
Glut-Amon
A face stolen from a baboon, eyes replaced with four empty sockets of stone jutting out like goggles. A black furred body with arms which drag upon
May 9, 2022
History or Archaeology
I have a friend (thanks Will) who is an archaeologist. We were discussing the difference between history and archaeology, which he summed up as:
April 9, 2022
Making Your Own Sword
Imagine a system as a mine. Within this mine is ore. You can dig it up. Imagine your game as a furnace. You can smelt your ore here, and end up with
March 29, 2022
48.01 Iric of the Jar
A snippet from the forthcoming Wolves Upon the Coast update. In the forest, a vessel is being prepared. It is a full 10’ across, made of clay
February 21, 2022
Invocations to a Flame
First ally to man and the enabler of thought, Mother Fire dances in the mind and veins. Those born in or travelling to the uttermost East where the
February 6, 2022
Night’s Black(pill) Agents
During my ongoing game of Night’s Black Agents (NBA) we had a realisation. One of the player character’s strategies is the ironically termed
January 8, 2022
Wolves Upon the Coast Grand Campaign Updated
Now featuring ~150 hex fills
January 3, 2022
SRD
Behold: 1d4 Encounter 1 2d20 Bandits 2 3d8 Giant Ants 3 4d6 Orcs 4 2d6 Wolves On the face of it, there is nothing here. Flat, boring
January 2, 2022
28.16 Dead Godling
The trees on Hlesey grow perversely thick, forming corded walls of bark and wood. Fleshy leaves droop, eager to stroke exposed heads. Without a map,
November 29, 2021
No Rules No Rulings
When running Wolves Upon the Coast, a situation arose - the players wanted to train the griffon chicks they had adopted (stolen). There is nothing
November 1, 2021
Vernacular Games
Nails to whiteboards. Against design, against discussion, towards play. Discuss results. Do not discuss plans. This is not play-testing - this is
October 19, 2021
17.17 Desecrated Monastery
From Wolves Upon the Coast Grand Campaign Within the woods an L-shaped ruin which has not been allowed to fall. Stones, cracked, filled with roots
October 15, 2021
Using Markdown and Pandoc to Make RPG Documents for Free
This is a rough guide. If you do some googling you can get a lot more detailed information about any of the steps or components - this is focused on
September 20, 2021
Wolves Upon the Coast Grand Campaign Released
An in-development hexcrawl for use with Wolves Upon the Coast. I am experimenting with pricing structure - as the size increases, so does the price.
September 17, 2021
The Infinite Loneliness of Halo 2
By the time I got an XBox, the XBox 360 was in full ascendancy. To compound this, I never had a Live subscription. A CRT TV - if two people were
September 16, 2021
Mentorship 1 - Retrospective
This was the first round of an ongoing commitment to mentor ttrpg writers with the goal of growing the space and helping others get published. At
September 14, 2021
Techniques to Write Adventures
There’s a random adventure jam you could join! Obviously these will not work for everyone, are not universal and is very incomplete. This is the
September 6, 2021
2d20 Bandits
On an encounter table, the entry 2d20 Bandits pulls a lot of work. Bandits are human beings. This makes them harder to deal with - when you lean in
September 1, 2021
A Theory of Art
lest I ever have to try this shit in a tweet again. Artist - someone who, for whatever reason, makes something they or others consider Art. Art -
August 25, 2021
Ruislip & Surrounds
Date: 08/25/2021 Assumes the use of Wolves Upon the Coast. Monsters may be found in Volume 2: Monsters &. Treasure was generated using the
August 18, 2021
03.09 Donenashoe
For use with Volume 2: Monsters & only. The forests in this hex have swathes of damage through them, forming bands of growth. An abundance of deer
August 10, 2021
Boasts
Take a black, wide-nibbed marker. Destroy all references to character levels and XP. Copy out the below into the margins of your rulebook. A
July 30, 2021
Parallax RPG Review
c.w. violence, torture, state repression. If anyone is able to provide me with a physical copy of the Parallax RPG I’m willing to pay up to £100 for
July 23, 2021
15. Dominion Reap
A thick gold band set with pearls, emeralds, rubies and diamonds. Between them, elephants, leopards and bears in silver cavort. Compels others to
July 22, 2021
Encounter Roles
Types of encounters found on an encounter table, assuming the standard “encounter check” procedure. n.b. a single encounter will fulfil many of
July 16, 2021
Volume 2: Monsters & Released
For those who come direct-to-source: Volume 2: Monsters & is out and available from EF for physical and itch.io for PDF. A collection & expansion of
June 29, 2021
2. Child of Stone
Within the earth things grow. The earth does not love all of them equally. Some are banished. Upon the lava plains they can be found - an armful of
June 25, 2021
Plus Three Versus
Magic weapons carry the legacy of the wielder. To make a weapon +1 versus a specific type, kill one hundred of them with that weapon. Give the
June 24, 2021
House of the Perishing Worm - Free Adventure
Finished something that I didn’t like but was taking up brainspace regardless. Now it’s yours - grab it here. put in a page because it’s big and
June 19, 2021
5. Doubleface Drachm
Silver coins marked by two oddities - the obverse always depicts a pair of faces, each facing outwards albeit tilted away. There seems to be endless
June 5, 2021
A Border Fort
Upon the sluggish river a fortress has sat since before these neighbouring lands knew indigenous kings. Hands recruited from far away laid the
June 3, 2021
d12 Desert Plants & Miscellany
d12 Description Notes 1 Flowering, fleshy, purple cacti. Tangled “blisters” of fat, short needles. Delicious once needles are removed. 2
May 31, 2021
Drowning Weights
To be married to the Sea is considered unseemly to these coastal people. The sea is like an animal, to be tamed and used, not loved. Found in
May 20, 2021
Stone Knife
Found in the soil. Blunt, rounded. Has no guard - a loose grip ensures cut fingers. Carved into each is a face, mouth yawning open. Drinks blood.
May 8, 2021
Six Shooters
All of the below should be treated however you treat revolvers. Huge, pitted iron revolver. Pulling the trigger tires the finger. Roars when it
May 6, 2021
New Zine Release - Black Knights
A zine with my words and the incredible art of David Hoskins can be bought here now. A UK release is forthcoming. Get the UK release here
May 6, 2021
A Home
Beyond the sun-bleached fence, cacti pulp steams. Spent rifle shells - six of them - sit in the recently disturbed dust. A lean-to stable has a
May 5, 2021
A Tomb
A mound of earth, grown over with grass. With a shovel, you could reveal the stones beneath the earth. With a pick, you could remove the stones, to
May 3, 2021
Mechanisms as Abstraction
Mechanisms abstract the thing they describe or simulate. This can be done to speed up play, or to make something complex more easily grasped. The
April 22, 2021
Postcards from Cable Street Released
For the rare ones who come here without also using Twitter - The antifascist charity zine I’ve been a part of organising and submitted to is finally
April 19, 2021
The Country
Date: 04/19/21 cw: war, ideological violence, childhood trauma Roz has laid this out, and it looks fantastic. Grab it here! Dukerino has made a
April 18, 2021
Perfection Trap
Date: 04/18/21 There is a common tendency to try and find the ‘best’ way to do things. The best initiative system, the best HP system, the superior
April 2, 2021
Violence
Been tooling about with a fast, nasty system for violence resolution and then I stumbled on this Update 18/11/2024 - Major overhaul uploaded. Lot of
March 17, 2021
Against Incentive
Incentivising behaviour is bad for your game. Axiom - Most players, most of the time, will take the most optimal option. Incentives create optimal
March 14, 2021
Ogres
Muscle cords thicker than greed. Take up all you possess, and carry it with you. See what you desire, and come to possess it. This is one of the
March 5, 2021
Demiurge Assassin
Some seek Heaven through violence. This sect aim to bring violence to Heaven, and use it to kill the Demiurge. They have spent hours poring over
February 27, 2021
Magic Outside of Levels
Effects beyond the mundane are achieved through the invocation of properties or through pacts with the supernatural. The knowledge of these rituals
February 22, 2021
The Principles of Thinking Adventures
Systems (as in ‘combat system’ not ‘system matters’) offer a trade - your freedom in exchange for something else. This trade is not always in your
February 16, 2021
Kobolds
Wounds in the earth multiply and gape. Infection lingers each injury a womb children unbidden. Teem in stone. HD 1-1 / AC as Armour / Damage as
February 8, 2021
Wealth is What You See
Remove XP gain. Instead, your level is determined by the wealth you carry/are accompanied by. Obviously, this quickly becomes impossible if it’s all
January 20, 2021
New Game Released - The Laudanum Drinkers
The Laudanum Drinkers A game about resisting the Empire in the realm of Dream
January 17, 2021
Two Magic Items
I hate magic items. Clothed in wing and leg, seeking proboscis fastens the garment tight. Insects are unhappy to swarm this closely, and make this
January 13, 2021
Weird War - Mission Generation
For use with this A soundtrack suggestion Roll 1d6. On a 1-3, the mission is Behind the Lines. On a 4+, you are being sent to the Front. The
January 4, 2021
CONSIM
The Observer will outline the situation. The small scale and rough differentiation means situations involving irregular forces and clandestine
December 29, 2020
Red Rock Funeral
A Scenario for use with ADF and Troika or whatever else you might want. I’m not your dad. Where the red sand becomes red rock a settlement, Ignear,
December 17, 2020
Shooting Through Walls
If attempting to blast through walls in a facility or starship - or checking to see whats there - or dealing with a miss - use the following
November 27, 2020
Stealth in Space
Roll 1d6 and Consult Below - Value or Above is Detection Detection Score Ship Situation 6 Running Dark, no systems, internal vacuum. 5+
November 25, 2020
Water Elemental
Gather rain on a hot, dry day. Add 2 droplets of blood. Forget the face of a sibling. By these gifts you may breathe life into liquid. 2HD / AC as
November 10, 2020
Dryads
Plants exist in a different world to people. They change the landscape slowly, over years and generations. They are the land - they do not claim it.
September 21, 2020
ULTRANOIR!
Tales are told of rain-slick streets sliced apart by hard-white reflections. Men with hats and cigarettes and women with red red red lips - the only
August 4, 2020
Weird War
Chao has made a fantastic version of this all laid out - grab it here. The collective anguish, dreams and souls of the continent are rendered
June 11, 2020
Running a Game
This is everything I can think of/remember doing when I run games without focusing on stuff like encounter tables and whatever - more the social
May 26, 2020
Sphinx
Flay the poet and roll them in sand. Leave them to bake in the sun. When the vultures come they will drink their blood and borrow their wings. This
May 20, 2020
Ents
Amongst woods visited too-often they lurch between their erstwhile siblings. They have seen one man kill another in anger. They have watched the
May 16, 2020
Trolls
To create a troll, take up pliers and empty the head of teeth. Into each bleeding socket insert a talon of glass. Many will break - this is why most
May 14, 2020
Gnolls
All took the mask willingly. To those not understanding what it entails, the mask is inert. It is made of thick stone. It depicts a snarling dog.
May 13, 2020
Wraiths
A single stone out of place is all it takes. A tendril of darkness will worm it’s way in, and coil itself around the corpse like a lover. Such a
May 12, 2020
Giants
The only art left to the giants is self mutilation. The ruins they haunt are filled with blacksmiths, poets and sculptors, trapped in bronze cages.
May 11, 2020
Orcs
There is never an orc. There are always orcs. Within the belly of each is a burning nugget of iron. Carve off a limb and embed a slug of iron. Wait
May 8, 2020
Druids
our mouths are full of soil hands beneath these hills grasping flint and barrow worm-sinews road-breaker fort-burner legate-eater the woods are
May 6, 2020
Minotaur
To make a minotaur, start with clay. Form a pot in the shape of the head of a bull. The mouth must be wide enough to scrape the temples as it is
April 16, 2020
A Weapon is not a Tool
fuckin about with a heavily houseruled OD&D for no particular reason. No thieves, no clerics, magic users powered by Wonder and Wickedness the issue
February 8, 2020
Things Goblins Do
cw: sadism, violence, cruelty to animals and children, goblins aren’t cute. goblins aren’t fun. goblins are fucking horrible. they live in trash and