Notice: This post contains affiliate links. This means I receive a commission if a purchase takes place during your link journey.
I. Prologue of the Paladin
The long road stretched on over rolling hills of amber. Near endless despite a steed, the paladins journey was quiet, the ambient breeze, the sound of hoofs, and their own whistling doing what may to ease some of the strain of battle.
No more a witness to the destruction of armies, this lone servant of knightly orders sought a different conquest; one of the past, and a life to rebuild in a new city.
Past suns were birthed from impending cries and striking of steel. This sun felt more charitable, if not somewhat dishonest. The nights moon felt sheltered, if not utterly flatfooted or drenched with cold sweat.
Once the dawn broke on that third day and the silhouette of the city lay in the distance, a wave of anxiety passed, similar to the early days on the front. A world of untrained unknowns. A stiffness in demeanor returned, and with a huff to the morning air, the paladins horse trots forward.
Happy post-Memorial Day,
This past Tuesday, I kicked off character creation for a new in-person DnD group. If you’re like me, you’ve encountered the dreaded New TTRPG Onboarding Problem; that which requires a force of persuasion and inspiration to drive players to a new game that is non-DnD. … My goal, of course, is to drop a quick-start or two in between adventures as a way to keep them engaged in new ideas! Maybe even convince them to pivot!
In that first session, I wasnt able to get the full group. In prep for it, I managed to grab One Hour Worldbuilders, a game which is short and sweet. While I’d love to run A Quiet Year or Microscope, both being amazing map-making games, each of them take about 4+ hours.
Additionally, I stumbled upon an interesting experience with Cartograph, which is a solo journaling map-making game that I could use to flesh more of the world out.
All of these games are at the center of one major pillar of tabletop RPGs; exploration! … One of the most exciting pillars when done correctly.
Today, we highlight number of wayfaring experiences, from space, to deep delves, and across weird landscapes. … On to the newsletter!
II. Looting the Room
RPG Sales and Deals
Our wonderful affiliate, Phoenix Dice, is having a SUMMER SALE of up to 30% off of a bunch of dice sets! … And you can add another 10% off with the code DELVE25!
*tumbleweed passes by* … Gunslingers and hex weilders! The weird western setting of Deadlands for Savage Worlds has a megabundle on Humble Bundle raising money for American Cancer Research.
$386$30Multiple solid deals happening through Bundle of Holding!
OSE Advanced Fantasy bundle is a blast from the past for fans of ADnD.
$37.50$7.95Shadowrun, Sixth World Essentials has what you need to roam the streets, chummer!
$65$17.95
Some fantastic products on DriveThruRPG for system-agnostic adventure planning. West Marches Campaign Style Playbook for big bold multi-GM endeavors, and The Adventure Crafter for the campaign designer.
About to Expire:
[2 DAYS LEFT] Extended deadline! Map Making MEGA Bundle is a huge suite of tools for one big map making software package. Become a mapping pro!
$1,373$35[2 DAYS LEFT] The Pathfinder 2E: Asian Fantasy Bundle is live for two more days! A majestic setting with over 43 supplement to fund Stop AAPI Hate!
$691$50
III. The Sage Speaks!
The sages backstory quest to build a master dictionary, one issue at a time!
TTRPG Glossary
West Marches: A style of campaign and play for tabletop RPGs that is centered on a shared sandbox setting, a large group of players with irregular schedules, and no regular plot with an emphasis on exploration and player choice.
Megadungeon: Larger than a typical dungeon, an underground complex of 5+ levels with a high amount of sprawl with intricate interconnections which require multiple sessions or repeated visitations over a long adventure.
IV. Markings on the Wall
Latest rumors, discoveries, and puzzling finds in the RPG world and beyond!
NEW Crowdfunding Projects
ASTRA ARCANUM - Metis Media - A dark, tactical sci-fi in a bleak cosmos with a retro tech vibe. Enjoy tons of character creation options, targeted damage system, and a massive setting! Grab the quick start guide within!
COSMIC DARK - Graham Walmsley - From the maker of Cthulhu Dark comes a weird space horror with an intense storyline, in a cosmos where life, technology and reality is twisted and wrong. No character creation; just pick up, play, and go along for the terrifying ride.
Past mentioned campaigns:
TTRPG News and Finds
In case you missed it, I released a couple new articles:
Did you know? Even the world of blocks and ore has a TTRPG coming soon! Minecraft: Roll for Adventure - The Temple of the Charged Creeper by the fantastic Matt and Marty Forbeck comes out in hardcover and 224 pages on July 8th! … Craft your gear. Roll green dice. Uncover some sweet loot!
World of Darkness, the studio behind Vampire: the Masquerade, Werewolf: the Apocalypse, and other beloved IPs has been rebranded back to its original name,… White Wolf Publishing, and is celebrating a new era!
Much Ado About Daggerheart
Daggerheart dropped just last week, and boy has it been a hit! … If you’re interested and want to get a leg up, check out the 10 Best Ancestry and Class Combos from Jack Filsinger of The Gamer!
Or check out how the duality dice work here!
Its been out one week! What are the reviews of Daggerheart saying?
At its heart, Daggerheart plays on two diametrically different game concepts. Its combat engine is a resource management system where players are encouraged to build broken character builds to live out overpowered fantasy fulfillment. However, the narrative system is built around a more freeform collaboration between players and GM, where the story grows without much impediment from rules.
Daggerheart designers left some big holes that need filling. … But overall, Daggerheart is a strong evolution of medieval fantasy roleplaying. It shows a deep understanding of Dungeons & Dragons’ flaws, addressing them by drawing on the strengths of other systems.
Daggerheart promotes strong narrative gameplay that is propped up by mechanics. It's not just schoolyard posturing, but you can have a unique experience that then lets you show off your prowess. It's supporting of the player and it's supporting of the GM which leads to a very happy table.
Theory and Design Advice
Need help putting together a convincing map for your games? Don’t work hard; cheat your way to a campaign map! Fight in the Shade provides a method filled with glorious cliches and a quick-but-interesting approach!
Perhaps your design needs are in dungeon-crafting! Consider an OSR approach to making progressive dungeons the old fashioned way with Mad Clerics Designing Your Dungeon!
Even further in the design chops of your donjon, perhaps its an opportunity to make it dynamic, living, and replayable. Behind the Helm talks about the ways to capture dungeon replayability! Even if you’re seeking a one-and-done experience, you may find some solid pointers for your designs!
A Maniacs Insight (Where I quote an adjacent Substack blog)
The tavern is a busy place, and many a conversation is happening!
Ever pictured peeling an onion, layer by layer, until you reach the core?
That image perfectly represents what you can do with an NPC using the Unfolding NPCs procedure.
This approach is all about revealing depth through interaction: no dice rolls, no checks, just the player's ability to build a relationship between their PC and the ‘target’ NPC.
V. Treasure Chest (Sponsored Ads)
Want to see YOUR project mentioned?
Click on this link to learn about how you can submit your ad to Dungeon Delve!
Thanks for reading CWs Dungeon Delve! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
Check out last weeks issue: