Unearthed Inspirations & RPG History
The BraveStarr Bible
From the Sorcerer's Skull
Trey stumbles upon the BraveStarr series bible in the Internet Archive, marveling at its uncredited Moebius-esque illustrations and pulp-magazine grit. The post explores how the Space Western’s undercurrents—more adult and less sanitized than the surface suggested—inspire RPG creation, and prompts musings on the cross-pollination of genres in classic games like Star Frontiers and Rifts. Space cowboys, cyborg horses, and the “zeitgeist” of the late ‘80s are all up for grabs for your next campaign.
Tabletop Fantasies & Folklore
LIFE CYCLE
Zedeck Siew's Writing Hours
Zedeck Siew spins a gorgeous, folkloric micro-setting: a divine seed, the tree that grows from it, and the mound demon that rises from the sacred stump. Expect mythic resonance—gods who become trees, blessings for lychee offerings, and vengeful earth-demons born from termite nests. It’s a three-act myth ready for your table, blending animism, cosmic romance, and body horror. If you hunger for gameable folklore, don’t miss this one.
Procedures, Play, and Player Death
How Did They Die?
BASTIONLAND
Chris McDowall presents a d66 table for off-screen deaths in Mythic Bastionland. Each entry is a vignette—poetic, grim, and memorable. Did your old knight die coughing out their last breath, trampled beneath horses, or bitten by invisible mites? Use this table for flavor, legacy, or even as prompts for secrets and hooks tied to fallen PCs.
The DIY Ethos & Stealing With Style
The Copy and Paste Manifesto
Rise Up Comus
Josh declares that the best TTRPGs are stitched together from the best bits of everywhere else. “Good artists copy, great artists steal”—but in the OSR, everyone should be remixing, cutting, pasting, and mashing up content. The post is part philosophy and part how-to: build your campaign, megadungeon, or ruleset from whatever inspires you, and don’t apologize for it. Plus, a shout-out for the Knock! #5 Kickstarter, a goldmine of stealable ideas.
Bundles, Maps, and Megadungeon Progress
OSE Treasures 2 Bundle
Beyond the Bundle
A new Old-School Essentials bundle is here through June 9, featuring six third-party adventure modules. Highlights include The Shrike (a modular sandbox set in a shattered fragment of Hell), Wyvern Songs, The Dream Shrine, and three scenarios from Gelatinous Cubism. If you’re an OSE or B/X fan, this is a trove of pulp-inspired, table-ready content for just $17.95.
Grim Hollow Bundle
Beyond the Bundle
Through June 16, grab the dark fantasy Grim Hollow setting for 5E—a world where gods are dead, plagues rage, and heroes must win every scrap of hope. The bundle includes the Campaign Guide, Players Guide, and Monster Grimoire (over 400 new monsters!), all for $17.95. Perfect for those who want their D&D grim, perilous, and full of curses.
Scavengers’ Deep – Map 19
Dyson’s Dodecahedron
Dyson Logos releases the 19th map in the Scavengers’ Deep megadungeon series. This installment continues the sprawling, multi-level underworld of ruined elven research complexes, pipe networks, and beast-dug caves. There are secret retreats, the remnants of deadly traps, and hints of the Khalefolk inhabitants. As always, Dyson provides free, high-res maps for your own campaigns—printable or VTT-ready.
RPG Design Deep Dives
Traveller Distinctives: Speculative Trade
GROGNARDIA
James Maliszewski breaks down why Traveller’s speculative trade system is so central and distinctive. More than background color, trade is an adventure engine: risk, reward, and tough decisions drive play, just as combat drives D&D. The post explores Traveller’s focus on independence, grit, and sandbox play—and why few other games have matched its trade-centric campaign potential.
Can we use ADDIE to make a better rulebook?
Skeleton Code Machine
E.P. explores whether the ADDIE instructional design framework (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation) can help us write better rulebooks. The answer? Yes! By focusing on players’ needs, iterating based on feedback, and structuring information clearly, we can make rulebooks as play-ready as the games they teach. The post is a practical guide for designers—and a call to treat rulebooks as instructional tools, not afterthoughts.
Reading and Rulebook Struggles
Reading Through a Hard-to-Read Chapter
Take on Rules
Sometimes, a rulebook chapter is just... hard to get through. This post examines the challenge of parsing dense, unclear, or poorly organized RPG rules, and reflects on strategies for perseverance, annotation, and extracting usable content. A relatable read for anyone who’s ever wrestled with “wall of text” syndrome.
What inspired you this week? What are you copy-pasting into your games?
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