iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Emily | Odds & Ents @oddsandents.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Reposted by Nick

Look at this yummy art by @bridanann.bsky.social in this delicious layout by meee - this book is coming along so nice and it looks sick! go back the kickstarter if you love worldbuilding games!

a layout mockup of Galactic Dawn showing a full page art of a planet with debris in orbit in purples and oranges.

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Nick @deepdark.games · 01/09/2026

GM-less worldbuilding? Yes please.

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Reposted by Nick

Tabletop Bookshelf🔜Gamehole Con @tabletopbookshelf.com · 31/08/2026

Solo journaling games, delivered to your door every month. Introducing Solo Party, a new subscription service from Tabletop Bookshelf! A new solo game, chosen and packed by us, delivered to you every single month. 🗓️ Launches September 2026 | First delivery in October

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Reposted by Nick

Andy | Pandion Games @pandiongames.com · 27/08/2026

I've been very quiet on here and spending more time analog and offline this year. But we're still working in the background! We are not writing as many new games this year but instead focusing on helping others publish their awesome games, and working on smaller experimental projects.

An image of the following text on a light green background:

Pandion Happenings

New Publishing
• Solarcrawl by Galen Pejeau
• Boundless & Voidlight by Fari RPGs
• Boundless Space by Galen Pejeau

Writing & Games
• Pocket Birds series!
• Bike-based short story / worldbuilding
• Midnight Muscadines in-world newspaper
• Hamsters & Himbos 2nd Edition
• Ship-based mech game.

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Nick @deepdark.games · 27/08/2026

Go follow Locked Room! Adam is pushing the boundaries on TTRPGs and Boardgames again.

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Reposted by Nick

satah 🛸 @posatahchips.gaygothvibes.online · 26/08/2026

after listening to the friends at the table AP ive been semi-deliriously talking abt this game at every opportunity bc some of the genrey mechanical stuff is so clever i had moments of fully pausing the pod & standing perfectly still in my kitchen to excitedly think it thru so 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

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Nick @deepdark.games · 26/08/2026

The Quiet Year is one of the most influential games I've ever played, and every gamer should have a copy on their shelf. (Going for Broke and Dream Askew are great, too!)

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Nick @deepdark.games · 22/08/2026

Oh wow, this is wonderful! Thank you for reading it Fiona (and all your Ennies work too!).

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Reposted by Nick

Fiona K.T. Howat @fkth.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

#RPGaDay2026 Day 19: Desire — A Perfect Rock by @deepdark.games Blog post: medium.com/@FionaKTHowa... Grab a copy: deep-dark-games.itch.io/a-perfect-rock

medium.com

#RPGaDay2026 Day 19: Desire — A Perfect Rock

For context, this post is part of #RPGaDay2026 happening throughout August 2026.

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Reposted by Nick

Rascal News @rascal.news · 19/08/2026

Does winning the Diana Jones Emerging Designer award help you stand out at Gen Con? The winners say yes. www.rascal.news/does-winning...

Glaiza Champion, J Strautman, and Kodi Gonzaga posing together in different ways in the parking lot

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Reposted by Nick

Zulu's Games @zulusgames.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Visit Zulu's at PAX West at the Seattle Convention Center Summit Building, Sept. 4-7! In A Perfect Rock, find a new planet for the last of your people! Play it on its own or pair it with The Rock Oracle Deck, which bridges the gap between mineralogy, divination, & storytelling.

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Adam Bell @adambell.games · 21/08/2026

Table for Two's playthrough of Quy Serra Serra was a ton of fun, so I'm excited and/or frightened to hear why and how the mayor from that game has a doomsday bunker

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Nick @deepdark.games · 21/08/2026

2. Hearing the game worked for kids. I always try to make my games accessible for younger players, but I don't often get the chance to playtest with kids. It's seriously so helpful to hear feedback from people who do.

Nick @deepdark.games · 21/08/2026

1. You ran this for a library program! It always makes me happy seeing support for our libraries, and I feel like the indie TTRPG scene puts in the work on that front.

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Nick @deepdark.games · 21/08/2026

Thanks for playing Leylines, @zigorously.bsky.social! Two things I especially appreciate about this:

An itch.io review for the game Leylines from Ziggy Fox. They left a 5-star review saying: Ran this tonight for a library RPG program, and we made one of the most unique fantasy worlds I've ever seen that I'd 100% run a whole campaign in. Absolutely stellar game, can't wait to try a sci-fi run with it!

will jobst @willjobst.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Reposted by Nick

3 DAYS LEFT to vote for Good Luck Press in the CRIT Awards! head over to docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... and vote for Between the Covers for Best Multiplayer TTRPG, and Underneath for Best Solo TTRPG!

Purple background with white text that reads:
Nominations, CRIT AWARDS
Best multiplayer TTRPG: Between the Covers
Best solo TTRPG: Underneath

A photo of Between the Covers on a pink background. The text reads: Seb Pines and Will Jobst, Between the Covers, Best Multiplayer TTRPG.

A photo of Underneath on a Green background. The text reads: Seb Pines, Underneaths, Best Solo TTRPG.

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Nick @deepdark.games · 20/08/2026

I'm so happy you enjoyed it!

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Reposted by Nick

Knave of Cups @knaveofcups.com · 19/08/2026

NEW IN: A Perfect Rock by @deepdark.games A solo+ world building space exploration RPG in which IRL rocks become in-game planets. Grab your collection and explore the far reaches of the universe in search of a new place to call home. Lost civilizations! Magic! Space leviathans! All waiting for you!

The cover of A Perfect Rock. The game says "A Perfect Rock, Nick Gralewicz, a planet-building exploration game" and the image is a space scene with tiny stars, a brilliant sun, and a little planet next to it

An interior example from A Perfect Rock. The image extends across both pages. The star is called Karelli. It's blue-green and white and takes up the entire lefthand page. Floating in front of it, a shadowy, small "Candidate Planet." The righthand page includes information about this location like Theme, two actions, and Connected Stars

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Reposted by Nick

Knave of Cups @knaveofcups.com · 20/08/2026

FRESH IN THE SHOP: The Perfect Rock Oracle by @deepdark.games A mineralogy-themed 50-card divination tool. Science and symbolism illustrated by (designer and real human) Nick Gralewicz, plus 3 concepts from geology, human meaning, or metaphor as well as two “suits,” a rock’s origin and its “energy”

The box for The Rock Oracle Deck by Nick Grawlewicz in the center of a photo surrounded by face-up rock cards. The box features an emerald on a tan background. The rocks on the cards surrounding it include amber, hematite, bloodstone, and kamacite

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Reposted by Nick

Leylines, my one-page map-making + relic-hunting TTRPG, is out now! Want to see what inspired it? Read on below. (and please grab your own free copy at drawleylines.com!)

The title cover for Leylines. It includes 5 illustrated relics at the top (a mask, a knife, a doll, a key, and a ring), with the title "Leylines" below, and the subtitle "a relic hunting game" at the bottom. Behind it all is a subtle map outline with three leylines running through it.

The first page layout of Leylines. It includes sections on How to Play (with a flow chart), Important Terms, Always do This, and Building with Aspects. It is designed in a beige/olive/brown color palette in a soft-retro/hand-drawn style.

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Oh I realized that unfortunate mistake immediately! Alas. (thanks for letting me know, though!)

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Leylines by Deep Dark Games

Please check out Leylines if you haven't! There are unlimited community copies, so please take one. Happy hunting! drawleylines.com

drawleylines.com

A map-making game about hunting for secret relics.

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5. The Corgi-space talk by @adamatomic.bsky.social. I've mentioned "brain-feel" a couple times above, and this is where I got that term from. Adam talks about designing small video games, and it's been the most influential game design video I've watched this year. Seriously worth your time.

(You should also get these games, they are some of my very favourite of all time:) lamemage.itch.io/microscope seaexcursion.itch.io/street-magic adambell.itch.io/grasping-net...

4.5. Grasping Nettles by @adambell.games. I love how Adam's games combine narrative play with "gamey" mechanics, like using the Rondel in Grasping Nettles. I think this builds on the point above: slightly restricting what you can build gives me a great brain-feel.

4. Microscope by @lamemage.com and i'm sorry did you say street magic by @seaexcursion.itch.io (two more classics). Leylines was an experiment: could you have collaborative, multi-scale, object-focused worldbuilding that wasn't free-form? Is it fun to have your options limited by dice? I think so.

3. The Quiet Year by @lackingceremony.bsky.social. This kinda feels like a fantasy author citing LOTR as an inspiration, but I'm gonna do it anyway. Single-session, efficient on-boarding, and creative map-making: there is a reason TQY is a classic and inspired Leylines (and every game I make).

A map for the game Leylines. The map shows a large main continent with a number of smaller islands, all in a beige/cream/brown colour tone. Drawn on top of the map in orange are leylines and circle (which represent places of power). At the bottom of the map are symbols for 5 dice: d4, d6, d8, d10, and d12. The d6 and d8 are crossed out, representing the found relics in this example playthrough.

2. Two-Hand Path by @wilkiescandylab.com. Two-Hand Path is a "polyhedral yahtzee" solo RPG, and its brilliant: the frequency distribution/odds are strange, and the asymmetry is simple but fun. Leylines began as an experiment with a polyhedral dice pool, and I love the brain-feel it gives.

Gameplay wise, Tunic is a game about finding secrets. But how do secrets work in a GM-less worldbuilding game? Leylines is collaborative so players make the secrets, but there still needs to be "surprise" when they are found. I think the dice progression system delivers that surprise really well.

The bottom half of page 2 of Leylines, showing two map-making moves from the game: "Add a Place of Power" and "Find a Relic". Each move has an example in text and in a map, showing how relics are found through play. The layout is in a soft-retro/hand-drawn style with beige, olive, and brown colours.

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1. Tunic by Andrew Shouldice / @finjico.bsky.social. The layout of Leylines was hugely inspired by the graphic design of Tunic's manual. I love Tunic's soft retro style, hand-drawn elements, and playful instructional vibe, and tried to bring that forward in Leylines' layout.

The top half of Leylines page 2, showing the Explore the Map rules. The layout includes three map-making mechanics, each with a map, instructions, and example. There are 5 small illustrated relics at the top (a mask, knife, doll, key, and ring). Everything is designed in a beige/olive/brown palette, and in a soft/retro + hand-drawn style.

An example page from Tunic's in-game manual. It shows The Quarry area and a number of callouts with illustrations and a soft-retro style that inspired Leylines.