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I. Foreward
Welcome to the 24th issue of Dungeon Delve, the publication that spews forth a dragons breath of new thought-pieces, news, and finds! … An assortment of trinkets, baubles, and sundry items fit for the game master, designer, and player in YOU!
Some weeks have a nicely organized theme. Some weeks, the theme is imposed. And then,… there are some that take the zeitgeist for what it be! … This is one of those weeks; a bit of everything!
Why put a label on a bit everything? Besides;… its more of a mystery box that way!
Or… because it is summer…. a Summertime Treat!
Image by Joan Njenga from Pixabay (not AI generated).
The past couple weekends was improv heavy, camping in eastern Michigan for the Improv Retreat, watching the TC Improv Festival, and ramping up my jam attendance! … All in time to host the RPG Blog Carnival next month! … The carnival is a monthly challenge posed by that months host, along with an invitation for other blogs to write on the topic themselves! Do you have thoughts about improv, roleplaying, and warm-ups? … Tune in June 30th as I kick off the merry-go-round and provide some insights from the hobby!
Also, some new ideas have been spun! Some WIP articles you can see in the near future:
10+ Fantasy Occupations: a fun worldbuilding romp through some professions that can only exist in speculative worlds! Some examples you will find:
Royal Alchemist
Warder / Sealbreaker
Psiguard / Thoughtskimmer
Master Poisoner
Hearth Witch
Technomancer
Replicant Detector
etc.
Project Vaulterra: A Hack of “The Quiet Year”: an experiment I ran with a handful of DMs and Twitch streamers, putting together a world using rules adapted for the creation of a medieval fantasy setting filled with vaults storing ancient technologies
Onward to the newsletter.
II. Looting the Room
RPG Sales and Deals
Another itch.io megabundle for the good of humanity! The Bundle for Ukranian Hospitals has over 253 items towards the rebuilding and recovery of the healthcare sector destroyed during the Russian invasion. …
$1208$8Support the Trevor Project in this Humble Bundle; Monsters, Traps, & DM Tricks is a combo of 5E, DCC, and system neutral resources to bolster your game mastering armory of obstacles!
$801$45Add NEW encounters, traps, puzzles, NPCs, and other tables to YOUR fantasy RPG campaign! The RPG Game Master Book Series is on sale via Humble Bundle, raising money for breast cancer research! …
$135$25Remember: Our affiliate Phoenix Dice is having a SUMMER SALE of up to 30% off of a bunch of dice sets! … Add another 10% off with the code DELVE25! Support the newsletter! Come get your dice!!
About to Expire:
[2 DAYS LEFT] DriveThruRPG is celebrating Onyx Path Publishing’s Anniversary with an up-to 50% sale on a BUNCH of Powered by the Apocalypse games, supplements, and more!
Free Resources:
For RPG design enthusiasts, Explorers Design has just released an article for 10 Budget-Friendly Typeface Resources for RPG Designers,… including some FREE ones!
at substack posts Carousing and Cavorting, along with a nifty Carousing Outcome Generator!
Love tables? Here are a few more by Playthings of the Mad Gods, targeting peoples reactions to the party’s deeds!
III. Markings on the Wall
Latest rumors, discoveries, and puzzling finds in the RPG world and beyond!
NEW Tabletop RPG Jams
WTFJam 2025 - Super simple tabletop RPG jam! Only two rules; it must be a TTRPG, and the submission must abbreviate to W. T. F. … Simple!!
Murkdice Mork Borg Minimalist Mini-Megadungeon Month - is on a mission to create a mega-dungeon, and needs your help! Submit your dungeon to enter the jam, and witness the final build!
Poetry Inspired TTRPG Jam - Write a game inspired by a poem! Use the language of poetry to create a brilliant piece of tabletop RPG art!
NEW Crowdfunding Projects
FRAGGED KINGDOM 2 ttrpg - Wade D - A brand new techno-magical fantasy epic! New and ancient gods stir as malicious forces besiege the Kingdom of Ire! … Filled with amazing art, strange species, medium crunch rules, and terrifying wonders!
TTRPG News and Finds
Chaosium Inc. (publisher of Call of Cthulhu, Runequest, Pendragon, etc) has announced a new CEO and other appointments over this past week.
Additionally, the previous CEO Mike Mearls (former lead designer of DnD 5th Edition) is taking an appointment with Asmodee, the company of publishers such as Fantasy Flight Games, Atomic Mass Games, and more! Read more detail at the ENworld thread!
The mega-con GenCon has been surpassed by UK Games Expo for trade hall size, signaling a significant ascension for the Britain-based convention to international retention. … In case I forgot to mention.
There’s no doubt Backerkit has been a life-saver in the crowdfunding space for TTRPG creators! … Lately, they are on a newfound quest for public investment, according to Thomas Manuel at Rascal News.
Their stated intent for the investment is to build “new features”; none of them having been announced yet. … However, adding complexity and controversy, its revealed that their lead investor used to work with DOGE. Read more in the article.
History lesson! … Planets and Monsters over on Blogspot digs into a brief history of the d20, and the pre-history of the use of “knucklebones” as early dice.
Related: no doubt at some point you’ve seen this meme circulating.
Also, Tumblr thread for the meme can be found here!
This month in the RPG Blog Carnival, we have Advantage on Arcana posting their blog challenge titled “Magic Shops and Their Alternatives”
Check out their starting entry here! Stay tuned in a later Dungeon Delve for a list of responses!
Gameable and Design Advice
Fallen Constellation questions death!! … More specifically, the punishment of a characters demise. What if, instead, we built the game and world by Incentivizing Death, thus rewarding players for biting the big one?
Blog of Forlorn Encystment (ewww!) makes a reasonable observation! … If the party is high enough level to fight dragons, then they’re high enough level to subdue them. Same goes for experienced world-dwellers and steed trainers! In summary, Your High-Level NPCs Should Ride Dragons.
II. Treasure Chest (Sponsored Ads)
If there is one, put it here. Otherwise….
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Check out last weeks issue: