Reposted by ClaytonGolden Achiever @golden-achiever.bsky.social · 01/10/2026My jam is mentioned! Yay! 072
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Yeah, ironically I’m on a work trip and unable to update that link about working as a freelance designer. I’ll have to update it tomorrow. It’s found on the Explorers website though 010
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 01/10/2026This month’s design newsletter might have the most jams of any Explorateur in the last two years. October is always a busy month. www.explorersdesign.com/the-explorat...explorersdesign.comThe Explorateur: October '26Monthly jams, critique, theory, and resources for rpg designers. 13616
Reposted by Clayton🪼Ghost Jellyfishlines 🔜 PaxU🪼 @jellyfishlines.itch.io · 01/10/2026#Noir-vemberJam MENTIONED!! Thank you @explorersdesign.bsky.social www.explorersdesign.com/the-explorat...explorersdesign.comThe Explorateur: October '26Monthly jams, critique, theory, and resources for rpg designers. 0114
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 30/09/2026I’ll get started on part 2. Luna, your work should be expensive! 020
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 30/09/2026He’s yours. Thanks for reading that section, it was obviously the most fun to write. 110
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 30/09/2026I’ve been thinking a lot more about freelance design and how mystifying it is to most people, especially if you came through the proverbial back door with rpgs. Today, I’m thinking about the three most popular pricing models and my thoughts on them. www.explorersdesign.com/working-desi...explorersdesign.comDesign Hireling: Pricing Models3 pricing models for freelance graphic designers and artists in rpgs. 48032
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Nice! I'll add it to the next issue and see about updating the current one. Thanks for letting me know. 101
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Here are 5 covers I liked this month. One of them doesn't even look like an rpg cover. It looks like junk mail. www.explorersdesign.com/covers-sept-...explorersdesign.comGreat Covers: September '26Great covers from across the tabletop rpg industry. 58630
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Feel free to DM me, but any credit is fine. I like it when people call out the template because it points people to it and demystifies the layout process! 120
Reposted by ClaytonSandro AD 🔜 PAX Unplugged @sandroad.moe · 22/09/2026[ ~ Where grief stirs, spirits linger ~ ] Dive into the kaleidoscopic fantasy of Beneath the Floating World, a Carved from Brindlewood game of psychedelic zenpunk exorcism ~ Uncover twisted truths, face supernatural horrors and navigate your mortal woes . . . sandroad.itch.io/restrain-ref... 812164
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 17/09/2026This bonus episode is how I found out my psychic attacks are working. I don't even know why I'm doing them. Boredom? A clumsy attempt at building rapport? 030
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 13/09/2026I met a really cool printmaker this morning at the Maine Book and Print Fest. James Sylvester. Someone should commission him for their Mörk Borg, Shadowdark, or Dolmenwood book cover or art. www.jamesylvester.com 1313
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 10/09/2026I'm going to build what is essentially a children's book cubby, only with Carcass Crawlers, Mothership aliens, and other assorted freak fictions. 160
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Some Bostonian back in the 60s! I saved it from an office gut. What you can't see are all the holes in the back where a radiator used to snake through it. 170
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 10/09/2026If I had the space and funds, my rpg bookshelf would be a two-story library with multiple rolling ladders. Instead, it's this. I really need to figure out how to display my zines. That's where all the weird stuff is. 4330
Reposted by ClaytonThe Soloist @the-soloist.itch.io · 04/09/2026The Soloist is back from Summer break! #soloRPGsoloist.substack.com🎲 Solo SeptemberENNIES and Fallout go solo, Substack finds Games, plus new releases, crowdfunding campaigns, and our return from summer break. 23717
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Musings about the industry. Talks about the town. Caning my shins. Playing the bagpipes. It's a new issue of the Explorateur; a newsletter of design links by game designers for game designers. www.explorersdesign.com/explorateur-...explorersdesign.comThe Explorateur: Issue #23Monthly jams, critique, theory, and resources for rpg designers. 14917
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Heck yeah. Good. I can't wait to see what the line up is. 0300
Reposted by ClaytonSean McCoy @sean.tuesdayknightgames.com · 26/08/2026Mothership Month is back this year, with one big caveat: no crowdfunding, no new releases. Instead we're investing back in the community: For starters: the Jump-9 Writers Grant will invest $9k in 3 new writers to help them each create a Mothership zine. www.failuretolerated.com/mothership-m...failuretolerated.comMothership Month 2026<p><strong>Mothership Month is coming November 1 - November 30,</strong> back to our regularly scheduled timeslot. With one big caveat: <strong>No crowdfunding this year.</strong></p> <p>I don’t know ... 9376156
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 18/08/2026Yeah the nice thing about my Dropmark account is that it has the link, and I can title it with the name and source. I’m looking for an option that gives me the ability to record data so I can fetch things from my inspiration besides the pretty pictures. 100
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 18/08/2026I'm trying out Cosmos, a Pinterest-style website, and I'm looking for accounts to follow. My page here: www.cosmos.so/explorersdes... Tell me what you think of Cosmos, too. Should I be using Arena, Designspiration, or something else? I love Dropmark's tags but the load times are debilitating. 1101
Reposted by ClaytonYochai Gal @yochaigal.bsky.social · 11/08/2026In a bonus episode of Between Two Cairns we discuss the Ennies (2026). The "winners" and the "losers" alike! Join our patreon at the Weird Little Freaks level to listen. www.patreon.com/posts/166407...patreon.comBonus Episode: The Ennies 2026 | Between Two CairnsBonus Episode: The Ennies 2026 by Between Two Cairns on Patreon. Join Between Two Cairns's community for exclusive content and updates. 0298
Reposted by ClaytonJesse Ross @jesseross.com · 11/08/2026Do you like maps? Do you like game design? The latest post by @exeunt.press is a great primer on how to think about maps so we can design better ones: www.skeletoncodemachine.com/p/maps-as-dataskeletoncodemachine.comBuilding a better vocabulary for mapsPart 1 of a series on making better maps by thinking about them as graphs and data, based on a talk I gave at Harrisburg University. 1217
Reposted by ClaytonExeunt Press 💀🎲 @exeunt.press · 11/08/2026Maps as data and graphs, part 1. www.skeletoncodemachine.com/p/maps-as-dataskeletoncodemachine.comBuilding a better vocabulary for mapsPart 1 of a series on making better maps by thinking about them as graphs and data, based on a talk I gave at Harrisburg University. 2278
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 11/08/2026There's a lot of overlap between this article by Skeleton Code Machine and the basic tenets of urbanism and urban design. What makes a place feel like a place? What makes a map *feel* real and intuitive—even fictional ones? Paths, Edges, Districts, Nodes, and Landmarks. Great read!open.substack.comBuilding a better vocabulary for mapsPart 1 of a series on making better maps by thinking about them as graphs and data, based on a talk I gave at Harrisburg University. 1217
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 07/08/2026Reading this was like getting to see a future where I die. A very funny post for people who dig too deep into online rpg discourse: whosemeasure.blogspot.com/2026/08/do-n... 2284
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 06/08/2026KEEPITOLDSCHOOLATWWWDOTCAIRNPRESSDOTINK Cairn Press? A commercial? These ducks fooled me again.cairnpress.inkCairn PressThe official website for the Cairn Press imprint. 070
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 06/08/2026My favorite Thursday show has returned. Can't wait to listen closely with my decoder ring and find out what to do next! 1161
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 05/08/2026In an earlier draft I compared most fantasy religions to the Coca-Cola brand. 030
Reposted by ClaytonRadmad is Unplugging his PAX @radmad.bsky.social · 05/08/2026The challenge that pretty much every secular designer has not overcome is that religion is rarely, and only temporarily, top-down. It is maintained, cultivated, and shaped by its believers. 56117
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 05/08/2026A short musing today about religion in fantasy worlds, childhood, statues, fish trophies, The Chicago Bulls, pancake breakfasts, and a dog named Scott. Hope you like this break from the usual. www.explorersdesign.com/religious-by...explorersdesign.comReligious by DesignReligion in fantasy worlds, games, and walleye trophies. 55620
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 01/08/2026I agree! I love how alegreya looks. It’s these new folks who’ve lost their way that need to see the serifs. 010
Reposted by ClaytonScréamus @phantom-limbs.bsky.social · 01/08/2026Fully recommend starting with the all-time classic workhorse fonts and branching out from there. Garamond has survived for centuries for a reason. Have a fancy header font as a treat. 1111
Reposted by ClaytonAsa Donald | Backwards Tabletop @backwardsttrpg.bsky.social · 01/08/2026I wish I had read Clayton's introductory advice 7 years ago. And there are some great posts again this month. Check out the pieces by Valeria Loves and To Be Resolved. Plus, incidental companion pieces about play by Murkdice and myself. 1177
Reposted by ClaytonPossible Worlds Games @possibleworlds.bsky.social · 01/08/2026the ennies were never designed (see @explorersdesign.bsky.social for more on this www.explorersdesign.com/ennies-3/) but have been playtested for over 20 years. if tweaks aren’t enough to fix consistent problems, at a point you need to admit your game isn’t for everyone—it favors a specific audience 0326
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 01/08/2026It’s a classic for a reason! The online hate for it is a meme. Futura is an all-timer. 120
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 01/08/2026Woke up hungover after winning gold at The Ennies for Best Kiss. Anyway, here’s this month’s Explorateur. Only the freshest links from July. Two really fun reviews. My new favorite podcast. And three thoughts on layout from me in the upfront. www.explorersdesign.com/explorateur-...explorersdesign.comThe Explorateur: Issue #22Monthly jams, critique, theory, and resources for rpg designers. 46919
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 31/07/2026The game will take your hair but it won't give you a tan. Play carefully, people. 050
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 30/07/2026Not this time! As a general rule, I love games where simple but consequential objects get to remain simple but consequential. I think Cairn, Tunnel Goons, Durf, and others do this well—mostly because they let you arbitrate what happens when you swing a big flaming stick, no subsystems required. 0100
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 30/07/2026I like any dungeon crawler that makes having a torch fun. That's my litmus test. Does this feel like a Swiss Army Knife? No? It's probably not for me. 1360
Reposted by ClaytonValeria Loves @valerialoves.bsky.social · 28/07/2026An argument for human connection masquerading as a book review. valerialoves.com/why-didnt-si...valerialoves.comWhy Didn't Silent Titans Change the World?Apprehension is worth the effort 139932
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 28/07/2026It's always cool to hear one of my old posts resurface! www.explorersdesign.com/turn-the-she... Character sheet's looking great!explorersdesign.comTurn the Character Sheet SidewaysTips & tricks for designing character sheets. 2275
Reposted by ClaytonZedeck Siew @zedecksiew.bsky.social · 23/07/2026This is in a coupla hours! Am gonna talk about my playtest of Seven Part Pact a while back, playing a wizard who absolutely *refused* to be a magical freak, and was murdered by the magical freaks around him! (He deserved it.) 0346
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 23/07/2026Massimo Vignelli!static.klipy.comLeonardo DiCaprio Points: 'Yes, That's It!'ALT: Leonardo DiCaprio Points: 'Yes, That's It!' 150
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 23/07/2026Yeah. Abstract images followed up by actual spreads from a hypothetical rpg book. 010
Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 23/07/2026The ol' IBM Selectric. They retired them under some dust covers just when I was about to learn how to type. 010