iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ethan @glyphtide.games · 02/10/2026

Sunday is the last day of the Jam! In celebration, check out these awesome (in-progress) illustrations by @tonytranrpg.bsky.social of two new Reputes I wrote for my game jam submission: Spellbound.

The Abberant. A figure with monstrous limbs.

The infamous, a figure with a lute giving a sideways glance.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 02/10/2026

Interested in one shots where everyone dies in a spectacular blaze of glory? I wrote one such adventure as part of this collection from Beadle and Grimm's, "Faster, Purple Worm: Everybody Dies, Vol. 2" Today is the last day to back! www.kickstarter.com/projects/bea...

Illustration of adventurer being thrown into the air and about to fall into the mouth of a purple worm.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 23/09/2026

We even got her immortalized in the newest edition of Fetch My Blade, which you can back now on Kickstarter! www.kickstarter.com/projects/hit...

Art by Nine Simpson. An archer kneels down and hugs her dog. The dog is drawn to resemble Hazel.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 23/09/2026

Today is my doggo, Hazel's, Gotcha Day! We adopted her from the shelter last year. She joined our family from all the way over in Hawaii!

A pitbull mix majestic dog laying in the grass.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 31/08/2026

My submission to the jam was a supplement for the game, complete with new reputes, factions, and a new Grave Level! glyphtide.itch.io/cxl-spellbound

First spread of the new grave level, Inkvein with art by Tony Tran. The art shows a Breaker gazing at a gnarled tree. Two glowing eyes gaze back from within the trunk.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 30/08/2026

"Come on inside to discover hidden treasures." "Oh, you're trapped? Just follow the lights out to the exit, but first, place the glowing blob you have here, thanks." "Don't mind the mysterious package of goop I've deposited into your backpack. Just bring that to the next dungeon across the river."

cross section of a ladyslipper orchid that shows the path flies must take to escape.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 29/08/2026

Want to help me playtest my next game at Gamehole Con by throwing side at each other? (By other I mean other dice, not players) gameholecon.com/events/event...

Art by Arthur Riel featuring kids with dice that project holograms of fabtasy heroes engaged in combat.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 04/08/2026

Going to Gamehole Con? If you're a POC and make TTRPG content, join @lyla.bsky.social and me at the POC Industry Dinner, sponsored by @montecookgames.com and @brotherwisegames.bsky.social! Meet creators, find mentorship, grow our industry. 🌽 Apply by 8/23: bit.ly/ghcpoc26 🌽

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 30/07/2026

We are ready, folks. Come find us at Booth Y!

Booth of M L Wang with stacks of books on a table and banner in the back.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 12/07/2026

Working on my #CHAINLINKEDGameJam submission and feeling pretty proud of this Faction I made. It's just you. You're the Faction. And everyone wants to be your friend.

work-in-progress spread of the Faction, "On the Run"

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 10/07/2026

Mine is a fairly coherent, but if you open each of these notes you will find only the incomprehensible.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 02/05/2026

I already cleaned up the tokens, but this is the aftermath of our PREQUEL game! The heroes preserves the secret of the sacred waters of the desert oasis (now encased in glass), but we're all defeated by the Magma Elemental that consumed the flying cities of the world.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 02/05/2026

Low-stakes boothing this morning! Then running games of PREQUEL and Chain×Link this afternoon!

Humble booth setup displaying Fetch My Blade, Eststate of Play, Prequel, and Chainlink

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 23/04/2026

Writing up a little Grave Level for my next Chain×Link session. Brainstorming ideas that need to be pared down for a stronger focus. (Likely releasing this as part of my Chainlinked game jam submission).

Inkrun
A wide river of black ichor winds through the Grave Level, cleaving it in two. On one side, gnarled trees grow over rocky outcroppings, sustained by the sickly purple glow of a crystal suspended aloft. Fed by the obsidian waters, paper mills cling to the opposite bank, ceaselessly churning wood pulp into newsprint used to spread the Crown’s propaganda.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 17/04/2026

I read part of this series a while ago as research for the (yet to be released) horror scenario I wrote for Jiangshi by @bananachangames.bsky.social and @senfoonglim.bsky.social Finally finished the whole graphic novel! A great reflection on childhood, multicultural influences in rural Midwest.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 15/04/2026

A spike of downloads for Six Arrows to Sunset has me revisiting the game. What a fun project. Six Arrows to Sunset. Bluff to survive in this sun-slaying myth game for one player and six GMs. glyphtide.itch.io/six-arrows-t...

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 04/04/2026

My copy of Last Train to Bremen, by @seaexcursion.itch.io and published by @possumcreekgames.com has arrived! It's been amazing watching this game progress from playtest to boxed set!

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 25/03/2026

Coming soon...👀 (Image and Logo by @andrewbeauman.com)

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 21/03/2026

Great to see games by friends and fellow designers flying off the shelves @tabletopbookshelf.com!

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 11/03/2026

Just received my @hinokodo.com MI(II)RUs and the Hex Kit! Excited to open this up and give it a spin!

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 24/02/2026

Chain×Link, a semi-cooperative dungeon-defying RPG. glyphtide.games/chainxlink

Cover image of Chain Link, featuring five figures debating how to navigate a mega dungeon, with enemies surrounding them.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 23/02/2026

Someone made a box set to play PREQUEL, such a magnificent collection! "Finally got to bring PREQUEL to the table today with my group. It was incredible, everything I ever hoped it would be when I baked the Kickstarter."

PREQUEL tokens laid out, including minion tokens

Box set of tokens arranged neatly in slots. Weakness tracker and Legend cards visible.

Box set of tokens arranged neatly. Hero half-tokens visible.

Box set of tokens arranged neatly in slots. Cataclysm tokens visible.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 21/02/2026

PREQUEL, the tactical storytelling game of heroic sacrifice. Glyphtide.games/prequel

Cover of PREQUEL against a background of fantasy objects.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 27/01/2026

Exploit tools of tyranny to support your rebellions and invoke ancient rites to escape this megadungeon with your closest rivals! Play Chain×Link, a semi-cooperating dungeon-defying RPG! Buy it here: glyphtide.games/chainxlink/

Spread of the game with the headings Goals, Special Abilities, and Opportunity. Full-page art of three breakers cooperating to fend off a monster.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 25/01/2026

I have donated an amount equivalent to the revenue I have received from Chain×Link to the Minnesota Immigrant Rapid Response Fund. This growing cruelty must be stopped.

Screenshot of donation receipt for $730.53 (and $5.00 processing support) to the Women's Foundation of Minnesota Immigrant Rapid Response Fund.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 18/01/2026

Host Personas are critical to life in Neo Avaria. Access civic services through DungeonSpace, play the popular game Dice Delvers, and duel opponents to win Bytes...all by rolling and clashing your Host Dice. But is there something more sinister behind the code? Hack, Slash, Return.

A scene between two teams of Dice Delvers dueling it out. Their dice are clashing in mid-air, projecting holograms of their Host Personas fighting it out in an arena filled with a cheering crowd. Art by Arthur Riel Cabezas.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 18/01/2026

Cloud Empress by @worldsbywatt.bsky.social arrived this weekend! Ecological Science-Fantasy is a genre I want to spend more time in. Can't wait to delve into this!

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 16/01/2026

Fetch My Blade is back in stock at IPR! www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Fetch-...

Fetch my blade zine on a patio next to a dog bone.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 07/01/2026

PREQUEL is a tactical storytelling game of heroic sacrifice. Play as the first heroes to take on a great evil. You will fall, but you are not the end. glyphtide.games/prequel/

PREQUEL book against a backdrop of fantasy props.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 02/01/2026

--INITIALIZING PROGRAM... >>OVERCLOCK THE DUNGEON

Clipped image of two figures throwing dice into the air. The dice project holograms of fantasy-esque characters in battle. Illustration by Arthur Riel Cabezas

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 31/12/2025

I don't want to hear about your reflections for this year or resolutions for next year. I want to hear about your CHARACTER's reflections for this year and resolutions for next year.

Illustration of knights resting in a hunting lodge. Two knights are playing dragonchess while others are sitting by the fire. Illustration by Amanda Franck

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 30/12/2025

In case you missed it, I released a semi-cooperative dungeon-defying RPG this year. Your successes depend on each other. glyphtide.games/chainxlink/

Spread with one page titled, "Making the Contribution Roll" featuring an image of prisoners helping each other up a cliff. The other page is titled, "Determine Contribution Outcome" and features an image of two prisoners launching a third prisoner across a canyon using their chains.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 20/12/2025

Went to the Big Gay Market this morning and ran into @zo51m05.bsky.social and got a handmade riso-printed game! The world building is so unique, FTL travel uses letterpresses powered by blood ink teleportation.

Ethan holding Retrograde Player's Manual, a retrofuturist letterpress RPG zine and The Demons of Nidaros pamphlet adventure

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 18/12/2025

A friend gave me this wonderful handmade gift of the Glyphtide Games logo that now adorns on our tree!

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 17/12/2025

Just ordered a new print run of Fetch My Blade! Play as the dog of a retired legendary master of the sword, tasked with a quest of your own: retrieve your master’s fabled weapon in time for their final duel. Purchase the game: glyphtide.games/fetch-my-bla...

Fetch My Blade next to a dog bone on an exterior patio.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 16/12/2025

It's arrived, what a wonderful little game by @vidityavoleti.bsky.social!

Photo of A Land Once Magic by Viditya Voleti.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 13/11/2025

Thanks to @wetinkgames.bsky.social for letting me write for Garbage & Glory: TrashCo's Digest for Dumpster Delvers! Master (i.e., meddle w/) the art of Sewer Alchemy. Scavenge the notes of the missing Rogga Cesscaster. What smelly concoctions will you produce? www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...

Cover of Garbage and Glory: TrashCo's Digester for Dumpster Delvers.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 28/10/2025

Six Arrows to Sunset 🏹☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️ Bluff to survive in this one page party TTRPG of sun-slaying and myth-making! glyphtide.itch.io/six-arrows-t...

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 20/10/2025

Gamehole Con is over! Had a great time running games (including Chain×Link), speaking on panels, and hanging out with friends. My haul, like my love for TTRPGs, is a mix of "trad" and "indie" and supported by my community.

Game haul from Gamehole Con. Apocalypse by Indie Game Cooperative, Making Enemies by Keith Amman, Stonewalkers by Brotherwise Games, Greenhorns by SpicyTuna, Pirate Bort by Limithron, Telling Tales from Storygames Chicago, Agents of the Gilded Palm by Matt Sargent, POC Industry Dinner program, Shadowdark by Arcane Library, Torq and This Discord has Ghosts by Good Luck Press.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 28/09/2025

The semi-cooperative design is exemplified in the core resolution mechanism: D10 *choose any* dice pool. You succeed if your result => than the previous player's result. You all succeed if the sum of all the results => target number. If any of you fail, you all fail. glyphtide.games/chainxlink

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 09/09/2025

I got a hold of my contributor copy for @ghostfiregaming.bsky.social's Enchanting Emporiums and I'm in love with this illustration of my beloved bat-symbologist, Krymkatuul!

Illustration of a white bat in spectacles reading a scroll held up by the Mage Hand spell.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 25/08/2025

Zine trade with @aaronmfking.bsky.social! Get these snazzy games at erinking.itch.io (Also including Nephews in Peril which I got from All Systems Go in Minneapolis, MN)

Photo of Game Genie Apocalypse, A Mirror Brightly, and A Pocket Guide to the Care of Swans and Horses by Aaron King. Nephews in Peril by Jason Cordova/The Gauntlet.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 19/08/2025

Aside from the game design, one of the things I'm most proud of on A Hymn for the Odd-Host is that I used PowerPoint to make a "mockup." 😅 ethanyen.itch.io/a-hymn-for-t...

One page of the rules of the game on either side of a 4x4 grid of playing cards. Yellow tokens are placed on some of the cards.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 13/08/2025

IT'S ESCAPED! Chain×Link, my semi-cooperative dungeon-defying RPG, is now available for purchase through Plus One Exp! I'm really proud of the team that put this together and can't wait to hear what you all think of it! plusoneexp.com/collections/...

Cover of Chainlink featuring five Breakers arguing about how to navigate a cavern that is in the vague shape of a wyrm. Enemies in the foreground look on.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 04/08/2025

Gen Con Haul! This year was lighter on the wallet thanks to an extremely busy and exciting time working at M. L. Wang's booth! Can't wait to delve into all of these games and books. There are so many amazing looking games out there! Let's keep creating and playing.

Books arranged neatly on a grey carpet. The books are Mythic Bastionland by Chris McDowall, Navathem's End by Sinta Posadas and Pam Punzalan, Loot by Spencer Campbell, Chainlink by Ethan Yen, and Aching Gods by Mike Shel.

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Ethan @glyphtide.games · 30/07/2025

Find me at Gen Con! I'll be in the Author's Alley at Booth AD most of the time, helping my friend and NYT bestselling author, M. L. Wang! You can also pick up a copy of Chain×Link from @plusoneexp.bsky.social or Fetch My Blade from @ipr.bsky.social. Both vendors are at Booth 449!

Map of the Author's Alley, with a pin dropped on booth AD

Cover mockup of Chain×Link featuring a group of prisoners connected by a chain navigating an underground dungeon surrounded by deadly creatures. The rocks above them are the vague shape of a dragon.

Fetch My Blade zine standing outside on a patio. A partially chewed dog bone sit beside the zine.

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