iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Please go buy Spacer... There is something VERY IMPORTANT in development for it right now... You WILL want this book! arcanesword.itch.io/spacer-inter...

arcanesword.itch.io

Spacer: Interstellar Roleplaying in the Far Future by Arcanesword

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lumpley @lumpley.bsky.social · 4h

Now, there are some PbtA and post-PbtA games that do take "acting under fire" as their core template, and build their resolution rules on top of it. Significantly, crucially, they add new systems that deal with the problem I'm describing. Blades in the Dark's position and effect, for instance...

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Atmospheric Underworld @atmosphericunderworld.com · 28/09/2026

Signposting was what I named the underlying tension that drove me to the N/OSR. After months of wrestling with it, I think I've nailed down what it is, why GMs rely on it, and how it goes wrong. This post was months in the making; come check it out! atmosphericunderworld.com/signposting-...

atmosphericunderworld.com

Signposting, Signseeking, and Agency Spirals: Hazards for the Ambitious in Tabletop RPGs

How psycho-social patterns of expected behavior erode the fundamentals of RPG play.

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Adam "Graphic Design Is Not My Passion" Seats @iknowadamseats.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Y'ever go to write something down to work thru thoughts so you can get back to doing other work, only for that thing you start writing to magically teleport you several hours into the future? Anyway, here's a thing re: design choices for similar problems in Mythic Bastionland & The Lands Remaining.

iknowadamseats.blogspot.com

On Myths, Bastions, and Lands (Remaining)

Go listen to this podcast here . If you have gotten the Mythic Bastionland brainworms like so many of us have, you've likely been sta...

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Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 19h

This 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.com

The Explorateur: October '26

Monthly jams, critique, theory, and resources for rpg designers.

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Prismatic Wasteland @prismaticwasteland.com · 19h

A lot of people are making their own stuff for Into the Oddish. For those who want to make more types of Pokemon as player characters, I put together some guidelines for how I would design them. It is a lot less formulaic than designing Pokemon as enemies. #ttrpg #osr #pokemon

prismaticwasteland.com

Wanting to Be the Very Best Pokémon: Playable Pokémon for Into the Oddish — Prismatic Wasteland

Guidelines for creating playable Pokemon (essentially classes) for Into the Oddish.

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Afraid of Encounters (He/Him) @isaacisafraid.bsky.social · 19h

I was planning to run horror TTRPG sessions every week for this month. But plans have changed. So I'm just going to run Mothership: Gradient Descent for Halloween, the whole day! We won't be able to finish it, but I just want to spend the entire Halloween to play a horror TTRPG session 😅

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Goblin Archives @goblinarchives.itch.io · 19h

One month left. Still time to get your projects in. Winner(s) get an actual play made featuring their entry.

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HODAG RPG @hodagrpg.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

DO NOT MISS THIS

A funky zombie monster hunk pointing out something on a 90's computer to a special forces babe from a not- Resident Evil type game

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HODAG RPG @hodagrpg.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

IT'S TIME! POKÉMON B/X III is HERE...O'WEEN!

A multiple dives near near an underwater shipwreck

Text POKÉMON BX III

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lumpley @lumpley.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

PbtA fans, here's my challenge to you. For the next 12 months, when somebody asks how PbtA works, tell them that normally a 10+ is a critical hit, a 7-9 is a hit, and a 6- is a compromise, but that unusually challenging or dangerous situations can bump itdown.

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lumpley @lumpley.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

@homebrewandhacking.bsky.social 's complaint about PbtA feels right: > "I try and cook a Michelin star meal. Oh no! A 7!" > "You partially succeed. You cook the meal but it poisons the reviewer." It's a great example! It nails the problem of treating acting under fire as the underlying template.

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lumpley @lumpley.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

15 years ago when Apocalypse World was new and people were beginning to understand and work with it, it was seductive to look at "acting under fire" and see, not one basic move of several, but the template underlying all the game's moves. Like @kierongillen.bsky.social 's classic gag:

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Kieron Gillen @kierongillen.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I find the card of my (er) micro PBTA game, and figure I'll scan it and upload it to the itch, as I've had a bunch of new follows recently, and I should try to get rid of them ASAP.

kierongillen.itch.io

What Happen? by Kieron Gillen

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Seth Skorkowsky @sskorkowsky.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Judging by the increasing number of AI RPGs, it's only a matter of time before some AI YouTube channel pops up that reviews AI RPGs to an audience of AI chatbots. Just a swirling chaos of inhuman minds like dreaming Azathoth, its slumber serenaded by AI melodies. There might already be one.

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Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I’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.com

Design Hireling: Pricing Models

3 pricing models for freelance graphic designers and artists in rpgs.

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Goblin Archives @goblinarchives.itch.io · 30/09/2026

To celebrate September 30th, the fall of raccoon city, I’ve released Nemesis 2 into the streets. The pdf is free on the Patreon for anyone. I’ll put it up on itch tonight. There’s a link in the post that you can use to order a print on demand copy from mixam. www.patreon.com/LiminalHorro...

patreon.com

NEMESIS 2 | Liminal Horror

Issue #2 of our Liminal Horror Perzine/Magazine/Fanzine is now live for all! We're excited to jump all in and highlight all things weird/odd

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Chris AirioOOoOoOooo @chrisair.itch.io · 30/09/2026

Starfarer, in 8pg zine format and chock full of art by @chaoclypse.bsky.social I started playing a solo game using these rules on Monday, and will update these rules if necessary as I play through the World-Ocean. Grab it on itch, or as a Monthly Games member on the Ansible Uplink Patreon.

chrisair.itch.io

Starfarer by ChrisAir

Ultralite sci-fi ruleset for Traveller-like gaming

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Tidal Wave Games | TURTLE TIME 10/23 @tidalwavegames.com · 30/09/2026

I am happy to announce @chaoclypse.bsky.social will be joining ALL THE WAY DOWN. Years ago I said I hope I can get the Holy Trinity of OSR artists on my project @tonytranrpg.bsky.social @hodagrpg.bsky.social & Chao. Now it's finally happening! Get a preview of level 2 by @discodan.bsky.social!

kickstarter.com

Coming soon: All The Way Down

A Cosmic Turtle Megadungeon for Old School Roleplaying Games

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Jez Gordon @jezgordon.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

One page Star Wars planet generator.

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Chris AirioOOoOoOooo @chrisair.itch.io · 29/09/2026

Happy Birthday! To celebrate, here's a sci-fi hack of Brandon's game Wayfarer: 5millionworlds.blogspot.com/2026/09/star... Of course, art by the talented Chaoclypse, 😁 Got an 8pg zine with pieces from his Patreon coming up soon, too!

5millionworlds.blogspot.com

Starfarer

Hi-tech sci-fi hack of Wayfarer by Chaoclypse . Character Creation Roll 2d6 down the line for the four Stats: Strength (STR), Speed (SPD),...

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Aaron Lim 林家丰 @ehronlime.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

everything d&d and osr adjacent should be called adventuregames

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Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop @backwardsttrpg.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

COMING SOON: In prelaunch w/ Violent Delights, another game inspired by Shakespeare: Mousetrap is a cursed game-within-a-game that won’t go back into its box. It’s game night. You and your friends have gathered to play a Hamlet-inspired game manuscript from 1983. But there’s a catch…

kickstarter.com

Coming soon: Mousetrap & Violent Delights

A cursed game-within-a-game that won't go back into its box, and a chess-based RPG about Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet.

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Yochai Gal @yochaigal.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I wrote a post about keying, and how it's weird that we don't have a name for all the various styles! Note: this post is not about the best kind of keying (though my preference does exist). It's more about naming the thing so we can discuss the thing. newschoolrevolution.com/the-keys-to-...

newschoolrevolution.com

The Keys to My Heart

My day job consists largely of reading adventures and providing feedback. And while I've read hundreds of OSR modules by now, I still don't have a good way...

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Afraid of Encounters (He/Him) @isaacisafraid.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Not the best movies I've ever watched. Not necessarily my favorites ever. But they really shaped me. my9movies.net/en

Empire Strikes Back
Jurassic Park
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Godfather
Return of the King
Silence
The Thing
Old boy
The Wailing

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Isabelle Ruebsaat -> paxu @anxiousmimicrpgs.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I've been doing actual game design so here's some theoryslop to try and explain the basics of ttrpg play cultures to my girlfriend to balance it out

A venn diagram with Play to Find Out, Strict Player/GM divide, and OOC player control over the story

OSR is play to find out and strict player/GM divide

Neotrad is strict player/GM divide and OOC player control over the story

Pbta design legacy is OOC player control over the story and play to find out

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Afraid of Encounters (He/Him) @isaacisafraid.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

If you're a fan of weird and mysterious Japanese horror movies, you might want to watch SAI. It's a psychological drama/horror series, really feels like Kiyoshi Kurosawa's movies. It's on Netflix and only six episodes. Warning, it can get depressing.

Poster of SAI. It shows a blurry photo of an old Japanese man in a dark street.

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Har·bowoputra @diceless.club · 25/09/2026

We even ended the chapter with a kaiju battle! This is peak Pulp Cthulhu

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Afraid of Encounters (He/Him) @isaacisafraid.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Finished the London chapter of Masks of Nyarlathotep. If we didn't use the Pulp rules to avoid certain death, @diceless.club's character would've died. No one has died. Two characters have retired. Peru and New York are also done. 15 sessions in. At this rate, we might end it in 40-50 sessions.

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Rise Up (From the Grave) Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Factions are such an important part of OSR play because the OSR is full of factions that all hate each other, so we really can really imagine what it's like.

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Yochai Gal @yochaigal.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

A few creators I work with went behind my back and main a zine about cities. It's full of system neutral tools, has three adventures for Cairn (including one by Arnold K.???) and new backgrounds. Amazing. www.kickstarter.com/projects/hil...

kickstarter.com

Coming soon: Fletchwind: Out of the Cities

System-agnostic tools for creating fantasy cities, and three city-based adventures statted for Cairn.

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Paolino Caputo @magnolienne.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The last few months have given me an unexpected surge of motivation to work on Opera Eterna. Check out some of the fundamentals in the new blog up on PinkSpace! www.magnolienne.com/pinkspace/20... #ttrpg

magnolienne.com

How to Play Opera Eterna – PinkSpace

Get a Job Opera Eterna (OE) is a game of operatic science fantasy set in the World of Saints: a post-catholic imagination that echoes my family’s stories of post-war Italy....

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Afraid of Encounters (He/Him) @isaacisafraid.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I mostly run games, so I'm happy that I'm a player for tonight. Playing Cyberpunk RED as Eve the Exec.

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MeatCastle GameWare @meatcastlegameware.com · 21/09/2026

Wanna see something wild? A third-party Mothership KS estimated to ship in Sept '24 just dropped an update that it's still not done, won't be Mothership anymore, will be riddled with AI now, and no they won't be refunding anyone. www.kickstarter.com/projects/bit...

kickstarter.com

Update 17: Alright, We're Off to the Races - Scrap Räts! · To Insanity and Beyond

I appreciate everyone's patience as we have been working through an immense backlog.  You can expect weekly updates (but likely no more than that) as we bear down to get this project down the pat...

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🎃Farmer GaddAAAHH!!!!🎃 @farmergadda.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I guess World of Game design is??? Buying out failed kickstarters and "fulfilling" them quickly with AI slop to create a list of "completed" projects to establish themselves in the industry.

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Afraid of Encounters (He/Him) @isaacisafraid.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Alright alright, hear me out... Oda Nobunaga Must Die! (Japan's Warring States period) Lü Bu Must Die! (China's Three Kingdoms period)

Oda Nobunaga's portrait from Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening

Lü Bu's portrait from Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV

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MeatCastle GameWare @meatcastlegameware.com · 23/09/2026

I'm surprised we haven't seen more Wolves Upon The Coast-likes. We should! Wolves rocks and is ripe for setting hacks like this.

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Luke Gearing @lukegearing.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

greasy wolves

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J. Dracula @ratbastardgames.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

rat-bastard-games.itch.io/wolves-of-th... HEY DO YOU LIKE THE BRONZE AGE AND HEXCRAWLS? DO YOU LIKE THE MINOANS? CHECK OUT CRETE FOR WOLVES OF THE AEGEAN THE RULES ARE FREE

rat-bastard-games.itch.io

Wolves of the Aegean by Rat Bastard Games

Mythic Bronze Age Hexcrawl

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The Merry Mushmen @themerrymushmen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Kobayashi again? Yes! And that looks great (again). I want it! www.kickstarter.com/projects/ale...

kickstarter.com

DARKNESS PROTOCOL

OSR meets Modern Survival Horror!

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Zedeck Siew @zedecksiew.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

"Missing From The Scene", a new solo exhibition by @chincarok.bsky.social , about absence (people from towns; principles from art; animals from ecological niches), opens 26 Sept 2026, in Kuala Lumpur. The invite posters are questionnaires: about what you think is missing from your local art scene.

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Har·bowoputra @diceless.club · 23/09/2026

̶G̶E̶M̶ BAD COPPER ALERT

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Afraid of Encounters (He/Him) @isaacisafraid.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Ea-nāṣir Must Die! has a release date: 13 October 2026! We are collaborating with @plusoneexp.bsky.social and @davidblandyrpgs.bsky.social Copy/Paste Co-op for a full release on both digital and physical. An OSR (Mark of the Odd) adventure for 3–5 players set in Ancient Mesopotamia! #ttrpg #osr

A copper plate wanted poster of Ea-nāṣir that looks like the meme. And an illustration of Ea-nāṣir by Citaaticat.

Ea-nāṣir is a copper merchant from Ur.
Ea-nāṣir sold bad copper.
Ea-nāṣir received many complaint tablets.
Ea-nāṣir made many enemies.
Ea-nāṣir Must Die!

Cover of Ea-nāṣir Must Die!

Coming soon on 13 October 2026 from Copy/Paste Co-op UK & Plus One Exp US

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