I. A Look Behind The Curtain…
Greetings, adventurers,
The winds of change continue to blow here in the haunted library. We’ll be back with our intrepid party soon, but this week, I’m delighted to bring you up to speed on my recent exploits.
On Wednesday, February 12, I hosted a seminar at the monthly Nerd Nite gathering in St. Paul. It is a national organization that hosts nerds from all walks of life, brings them together to drink beer at a bar, and sit in on fun and interesting presentations!
My presentation: Nerds & Knights: TTRPGs for All
In it, we discussed what a tabletop RPG was, a brief popular history of the hobby, and delved into some examples of games. It was a fantastic learning opportunity for the room and myself in terms of not overcomplicating a presentation
My goal was to provide a backdrop of TTRPGs, but also motivate the group to look for NEW and INTERESTING games! … It the perfect time to do so!
… which is why this week, we are continuing our delve into Zine Month!
Every one of the magnificent games below were put together with love and intention, and being that it is the season of Valentines Day, what better way to celebrate than helping these amazing creators see their creations come to life!
II. The Sage Mumbles!
The sage is in a trance state, but some esoteric knowledge has been unlocked!!
TTRPG Glossary - (One of the Nerd Nite slides!)
Threefold Model: An early 1997 model of RPG design theory which analyzes individual styles of play, and the outcomes of play at a table. The model includes Game, Drama, and Simulation. These values are not exclusive, but help illustrate an individuals game preferences.
Game (Threefold Model) - Style which values fair challenge to the players of an RPG, whether it be through tactical combat, intellectual puzzle-solving, intriguing social dynamics, or other in-game means. (“gamism”, “gamist”)
Drama (Threefold Model) - Style which values in-game actions creating a satisfying storyline, whether it be delivering on genre tropes or story beats, or creating meaningful dramatic arc in character interactions. (“dramaism”, “dramatist”)
Simulation (Threefold Model) - Style which values resolving in-game events based on game-world considerations, and discouraging story interventions, instead opting to keep the game consistent to the consequences/“realism” of the setting. (“simulationism”, “simulationist”)
III. Markings on the Wall
Latest rumors, discoveries, and puzzling finds in the RPG world and beyond!
Zinemonth / Zinequest Continues!!
Reminder:
Kickstarter is hosting its annual Zinequest event! Check out a bunch of other websites:
A lot of the games we covered are fully funded! Hooray! … That being said, there are more games to toss your direction. Be sure to check out the campaigns below, as well as from previous issues!
[ZINEMONTH] Aynbath: The Woods Voiceless Hymns - A build-your-own adventure for the ENnie Award winning game “Shadowdark”, venture into the Horned God’s Woods and encounter creatures with esoteric secrets of their own! … Pledge. Play. Promote.
[ZINEMONTH] Catcrawl - An exploration game about a cat in a new home - Explore this unfamiliar environment through the POV of a fuzzy furball! Its GM-less, can be played solo, but also with up to 4 players. No prep needed! (Can you really be prepared for what a cat decides to get into?) … My nieces will love playing this! … Pledge. Play. Promote.
[ZINEMONTH] Caligaes' XENO - You are an alien! … Sent to earth as punishment, you are forced to atone for your sins while also surviving a world inhabited by humanity. A game for 2-5 players. … Serve Mother! … Pledge. Play. Promote.
[ZINEMONTH] Hexploration Decks & Tiles-- Hexcrawl/Sandbox RPG Support - Sandbox world generator deck, allowing tables to create and discover amazing locations during the exploration phase of their TTRPG journey! System agnostic, and a welcome addition to any hexploration campaign! … Pledge. Play. Promote.
IV. Looting the Room
RPG Bundle Deals
[Bundle] Queer Love Bundle - Collection of amazing queer TTRPGs, like Thirsty Sword Lesbians, Star Crossed, and more! … $50.00
$114.09[Bundle] Punch Nazis Bundle - Games about fighting authoritarian regimes! Multiple genres including mecha, space fantasy, dystopia n, and historical! … $12.95 Starter Collection
[Bundle] Pathfinder Kingmaker Bundle - Collect a ton of PDFs for Pathfinder, Paizo maps, and Kingmaker-related materials.
[HUGE Bundle] More Tabletop & RPG Resources - Only a few days left to grab a huge selection of resources, rollable tables, and more! $243 value, PWYW
10% off Phoenix Dice Deal! - Ongoing Affiliate!
Phoenix Dice are made from eco-friendly materials, and each purchase goes towards funding research into various recycled materials such as ocean plastic, safe industrial waste, and more!
Use the code DELVE25 and get 10% off your order today!
Free Stuff
Homebrew Spellcrafting for your TTRPG Campaigns - New release! Wyrmwood Studios provides a guide on how to inject fresh spell and spell-crafting ideas into your TTRPG experience!
The Spell Writing Guide - An older, but highly versatile resource for spell-crafting, and a highly popular PWYW release. Great guide for any game master!
DURF: An Adventure Game for Brave Adventurers - If you haven’t already seen the most popular games on Itch.IO for TTRPGs, there is a little game called DURF which is a light-weight OSR game that is built to be hacked and made into your own!
Consider pairing DURF with your favorite system-agnostic zines, like those from JP Coovert! — Check out CW’s article about them here! (Paid)
Want to see YOUR project here? … Click on this link to learn about how you can submit your ad to Dungeon Delve!
To see MORE GAMES, check in on the past two issues of Dungeon Delve!