I. You Enter The First Chamber…
A foreward.
Ruins of a towering citadel stand before you, the sealed gate engraved with ancient symbols. Your band of adventurers observe its twisted majesty as the wind blows around you, kicking up waves of dust across the long forgotten plaza. As the sage lifts the runic pendant, a crack like thunder echoes over the sounds of the wind. The gates heavy doors begin to open, revealing what once was a welcome hall with a statuary foyer. Latent magics cause braziers and torch sconces to light as the doors cease to move. With courage in your hearts, you step into… the first chamber.
It begins. The first issue of Dungeon Delve.This weekly edition bring a combination of content from across the internet, such as new TTRPG release announcements, terminology, tavern rumors, interesting blog posts, quickstarts, links and tools, advertisements, and a ton more!
Its like a smorgasboard of geeky activity for tabletop RPGers and worldbuilders alike!
…
Context: I’ve been running ChaoticanWriter.com for a number of years. What began as writing platform that I was overpaying hosting for, I soon realized that it could be a lot more. In 2024, I set out to redefine the mission of CW, and turn it into a budding online publication.
However, I had a habit of overthinking things. Articles became big writing endeavors, but more often than not, I would end up collecting a bunch of smaller bits and bobs from across cyberspace. I wanted to do more to shower readers with globs of useful info on a regular basis. Thus, Dungeon Delve was born!
My wish for Dungeon Delve is to be an exciting hook for people who like TTRPGs and world building, and use it as a way for me to engage in dialogue with the community! … Bringing interesting ideas and references to best build out your game master, game creator, artist, and writers toolkit.
This debut is a single expression of that goal. Over time, I plan to shape it into whatever is most valuable to the community, through feedback, surveys, comments, and other interactable bits!
If you enjoy this first issue, please…. pleasepleaseplease… tell your friends about this Substack. Subscribing is FREE, and they’re bound to find something fun delivered to them on a weekly basis.
Without further ado, … lets get started…
II. The Sage Speaks!
The sages backstory quest to build a master dictionary, one issue at a time!
TTRPG Glossary
Crunch: The mechanical complexity of a tabletop RPG, usually determined by the amount of rules, interacting systems, dice rolls, mathematics, and more. High crunch games have many variables, but are difficult to learn. Low crunch games are easy to pick up and play, but might lack a deeper experience for some players.
House Rule: A rule, or set of rules, practiced at a TTRPG gaming table or campaign that either appends or counters certain rules-as-written in order to better fit the preference or playstyle of the game master and/or the players.
Lasersharking: The act of combining two or more 'cool' elements in one setting, character, or game, based on the erroneous assumption that combining two cool things will result in something twice as cool. This term originated on RPGGeek.com.
Worldbuilding / Writing Glossary
Inciting Incident: A key story beat in “Three Act” and similar story structures. The pivotal moment when a problem or force outside the protagonists familiar world appears before them, challenging their status quo. Eventually, they are forced make a choice; stay in the familiar, or break into the new.
Vexillography: The art and practice of designing flags, whether for a nation, state, city, organization, or political movement. Separate from vexillology, which is the scholarly study of flags.
Framing Device: A narrative technique in which the main story is “framed” by a secondary story. Often depicted as an outer character sharing the main tale with others (parent reading a bedtime story, prisoner confessing to a constable how a heist occurred, someone finding and reading a lost journal, etc.).
III. Markings on the Wall
Latest rumors, discoveries, and puzzling finds in the RPG world and beyond!
TTRPG News
Doomsong RPG Launches! A Game of Medieval Horror and Biblical Apocalypse (CW Hosted): New article announcing the launch of a successful Kickstarter TTRPG from Caesar Ink that’s bound to scratch your roleplaying macabre itch!
Obojima: Tales From the Tall Grass: Pre-orders Available - Its a third-party DnD5e supplement, but one that deserves SO much of my respect! … The Studio Ghibli-inspired setting is available now for pre-order! … Seriously. Go check out the website. The art and theme is gorgeous!
PICKING A TTRPG (That isn’t D&D or Pathfinder Part 1) – Crunch, Chaos, and Political Backstabs: Newer episode of the RPGBot Podcast digging into various systems and how they work in a nutshell! … Its a three part series, but one that provides a compact summary of the biggest non-DnD tabletop RPGs out there, with a breakfast cereal-themed rating system for crunch!
How to Run an Urban Campaign - Running RPGs: Tabletop RPG Youtuber Seth Skorkowsky outlines the dynamics of a city-based setting and best practices for hosting you game in one!
Light and the Low Fantasy Setting: TheFieldsWeKnow at Blogspot ponders the effect of treating something as simple as “darkvision” as a supernatural ability.
Worldbuilding Links
The Wacky World of Flags: AlternateHistoryHub on Youtube hosts a fun (and sometimes sarcastic) historical Q&A about vexillology IRL.
Protecting a Castle: Fellow Substack writer Andrew Zimba posts a short, but thought-provoking exercise identifying gaps to castle security in a fantasy world.
Aetherpunk, Magitech, and Technomancy: Whats the difference?: A previous article on the CW site digging into three different fusions of magic and technology as witnessed in IPs such as Final Fantasy, Eberron, Cyberpunk, Shadowrun, and more!
IV. Looting the Room
Free Stuff
Doomsong: Lord Have Mercy Upon Us - Free Demo: a FREE 120-page PDF that shows off the new medieval horror ‘Biblical Apocalypse” TTRPG from Caesar Ink
Cursed Captains of Cthulhu - Quickstart PDF: the new swashbuckling game with sword+sail+magic+”cosmic horror” has a quickstart guide! A great game that we reviewed here.
Ocean Planet Name Generator (CW Hosted): Our eighteenth and latest random name generator. Generate your own Ocean Planet names for your science fiction or fantasy galaxy!
Coat of Arms Generator: Interactive web-based tool for designing your own medieval coats-of-arms!
V. Treasure Chest
Suggestions and sponsored links from the community!
Theres a first time for everything, and this first weeks Dungeon Delve is a clean slate!
YOU can see YOUR project here! … Click on this link to learn about how you can submit your ad to Dungeon Delve!
Also, the cost is SUPER CHEAP right now! … In the effort of starting small, and building momentum, we want to make your ability to advertise as accessible as possible!
I hope you enjoyed the first issue.
Remember,… new stuff every week!
Please consider SUBSCRIBING to the weekly newsletter / Substack, and tune into future issues of Dungeon Delve!