A Few Minutes Ago I Reblogged A Poll About What Tense(s) People Prefer To Read, And Someone In The Reblog

A few minutes ago I reblogged a poll about what tense(s) people prefer to read, and someone in the reblog tags mentioned what they prefer to write, and I thought...that'd be a fun poll....

This is absolutely imperative. WotC and D&D still wins if they take up your mindspace and the words you put out into the world. The power of a single positive review or share into the hobby space by you playing other games and talking about them is unbelievable. You cannot fathom how much you can do for an indie designer by playing their game and talking about it online.

This is something I and other tabletop bloggers like thydungeongal have said repeatedly in the past, but I think it bears repeating.

If you don't like WotC due to the recent scandals they've been involved in (such as the OGL thing and sending the Pinkertons to someone's house) and you are serious about disrupting the economic and cultural stranglehold they have over the entire tabletop hobby, pirating D&D products is infinitely less important than exploring, discussing and platforming games and creators outside of the D&D 5e ecosystem.

A person who pirates every single D&D product but continues to exclusively play, discuss, talk, and blog about Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition is not doing as much as someone who religiously pays for every D&D product but also gives some of their precious time and attention to games that aren't D&D, especially if they have any sort of platform or audience.

Hope my submission makes the cut, going to be a fun bundle.

Supernatural TTRPG Bundle

Recruitment is currently open (until 8/22/24) for an itchio bundle themed around supernatural TTRPGs.

Profits split evenly.

If you'd like to join or you'd like more information, it's contained in the form.

Google Docs

Supernatural TTRPG Submission Form

Please use this to submit itchio TTRPGs for the Supernatural TTRPG bundle.

My hommage to the TV series Supernatural "Carry On" using 24XX is part of this fun Supernatural TTRPG bundle. There are 50 games here for 20 USD. It is the perfect time to get some games to peruse and prep at your leisure for Halloween! 👻

Changes to d12 Core incoming

Hey everyone,

As many suspected, d12Core is evolving into "The Flux Engine."  The polls in various online spaces helped me narrow down which direction to take, and "The Flux Engine" is the winner! 

When the change happens, I will keep the d12 Core Itch page open "As is" but disable new downloads from there. I will set up an entirely new page for The Flux Engine. I struggled a lot with this decision as people who already have d12Core will be disconnected from TFE. But I haven't found a way to switch the Itch page to a new name while keeping the old links all over the web active and working. So a new page it is. Lesson learned!

With the change, the latest Beta 1.14 will be released and bring some significant improvements:

Revamped character creation with Origins and Archetypes

More dynamic combat using the enhanced Zones system

Expanded rules for group challenges and conflicts

Refined Adrenaline and Bond mechanics for more dramatic moments

Many examples

Based on your feedback, I've kept the core of what made d12Core fun while refining the system. The Flux Engine aims to be more flexible, inclusive and approachable, whether you're exploring ancient ruins, dodging asteroids or navigating futuristic cityscapes.

Stay tuned for more details and the official release date! You can also keep in touch with all the latest on Discord.

As a teaser, here is a sneak preview of the new cover style:

TTRPG Rulebook organization

Hello TTRPG fam, I'm facing a common challenge while writing my latest rulebook, and I'm curious about your thoughts.

How do you prefer to organize the order of rules in your TTRPGs? In my current draft, I have references in earlier chapters to concepts that aren't fully explained until later. Putting these ideas first disrupts the natural flow of the rules, but I also want to avoid constant "see page XX" references.

I'm considering a few options:

A "quick start" guide at the beginning

Sidebar explanations for referenced concepts

A comprehensive glossary of terms in the front

Detailed index at the back

Restructuring the entire rulebook (a last resort)

As both designers and players, how do you balance comprehension with readability? What ways have you found effective for introducing complex concepts without overwhelming new players or constantly redirecting readers to other sections?

I'm interested in hearing about your solutions and experiences. How have you tackled this issue in your own designs? What approaches have you appreciated in other rulebooks?

Let's talk