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The Explorateur: October '26
# The Explorateur: Year 3!
This is the 24th issue of The Explorateur, which makes next month's issue the start of its third year. As is tradition, here are a few updates and improvements.
* **New title system.** This issue is the first one with the month and year in its title. This will make it easier to know which issue is the newest at a glance.
* **Keeping to the niche.** In case it isn't obvious, The Explorateur is limited to design-focused links and resources. If it doesn't help rpg designers, it isn't here.
* **1,363 subscribers.** That's a +300 increase from the previous year. There were no spikes in subscriptions. Slow and steady. Despite award nominations.
* **Awarded Best Kisser.** None of this year's nominations landed The Explorateur a gold or silver Ennie or Crit, which means I did all that kissing and bribing just for the thrill of it. (I should have boasted "Best Dressed.")
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****Did you know this post gets updated?**** Sometimes I miss something and add it later. Don't forget to check out the web version.
### Explorers' Loot
* Great Covers: September '26**.** I returned this month with five more covers I love. The secret theme for this last spotlight: guts. These covers have them.
* Shelfie #001 - Clayton.**** Jonas started a new blog where guests show off their rpg shelves, and I was the first ~~tribute~~ guest. Alas, I forgot to display _Scarface_.
* **Design Hireling: Pricing Models.** In real life, you don't have to worry about gelatinous cubes. Instead, you worry about how you're going to get paid.
### Quests & Rumors
Game jams, contests, and opportunities. Drop me a line on Bluesky.
* Folklore Jam '26.**** Make an rpg, larp, or boardgame inspired by folklore from your culture. It can be a spooky, cozy, or anything really. Jam ends Oct 31st.
* Orctober OSR Jam.**** Make orc thing. Get orc thing judged. All orcs welcome. Playable orc thing? Good. Unplayable orc thing? Bad. Orc jam end Orc 31st.
* B.C. Compliant Primitive Jam.**** Make something for the game, _Year 100 Million BC_. Great for designers who love hitting things with rocks real good.
* **❤️** Baseball Jam '26.**** Regular readers of Explorers Design know this is my kind of jam. Make something baseball-related for ttrpgs. Jam ends Nov 1st.
* Norman Mailer Game Jam.**** Here's a weird one: Make something rpg-related based on the life and writings of Norman Mailer. Jam ends Nov 11th.
* DURF Jam 6!**** The Annual Durf Jam is back. This year's theme: Lost & Found. Make an adventure or expansion for the game, DURF. Jam ends Nov 14th.
* Minimalist TTRPG Jam 5. A jam all about primal, elemental, close-to-the-metal TTRPG creation! No pictures, no layout, all killer, no filler. Ends Nov 1st.
* Noir-Vember TTRPG Jam.**** Make a game, module, or supplement for the black and white world of gumshoes, derringers, and crime. Jam ends Nov 30th.
* Make Moves Jam.**** Create or share singular Moves using Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) design philosophies. Jam lasts all year. Ends Dec 31st.
### Reviews & Critique
Critique and examinations of tabletop rpgs, adventures, and more.
* I Kind of Hate Treasure?****_by Murk Mail. "_[It's] pretty central to old-school play in its ‘textbook’ form. But, I’ve got a confession. I kind of hate treasure._"_
* Bathtub Review: The Doom of the Dark****_by Idle Cartulary._ Patrick Stuart's latest adventure (for Tunnels & Trolls, no less) isn't like his others.
* Wolves Along the Coast****_by Twilight Dreams._ Every time a game gets reviewed, I get to discover and appreciate it again. This is one of those reviews.
* Shadowrun Review****_by Among Cats and Books._ Better late than never! Elmcat returns to Shadowrun to finally figure out: What the hell is it?
### Spotlight & Best-iary
The spotlight section showcases interviews, design examples, and projects.
* Knock! Bundle of Holding.**** Normally I wouldn't promote a product, but this latest bundle is 100% this newsletter's special interest. Blogs immortalized!
* How Deadly is the OSR Actually?****_by Valeria Loves._ Are OSR games universally short and deadly? Valeria is on the case. (The answer is no.)
* Workflow Eats Features For Breakfast****_by Bastionland._ Chris, designer of _Mythic Bastionland,_ talks about how his game "runs itself" via workflows.
* Mothership Month Returns!**** This November: A new Warden's Program, Writers' Grants, and Mothership Select—a hall of fame for 3rd party products.
* **📺** How I Make a Living as a Full-time Indie RPG Designer****_by Cezar Capacle._ Cezar's been on my bookshelf for years, so this was a fun watch.
### Theory & Craft
Design tools, resources, theory, and advice for rpg designers from rpg designers.
* **❤️** The Keys to My Heart _by New School Revolution._ Loved this one. It explores different styles of keying found in different adventures. What's yours?
* **❤️** Signposting, Signseeking, and Agency Spirals****_by Atmospheric Underworld._ This is long toothsome read about incentives, railroading, etc.
* Three-Sentence Hexes****_by Idraluna Archives._ This is a follow-up to Idraluna's defense of empty hexes. An argument for less-is-more.
* The (Implied) Author of this Game Hates You_by Skeleton Code Machine._ Exploring the concept of antagonistic game design as a technique.
* Do Not Overthink the City****_by Pool Time. "_ Have you ever lived in a city? Think back and you will notice: your experience was mainly a series of rooms."
* The Elemental Level of Megadungeon Construction****_by Rise Up Comus._ A fun article about how Megadungeons are made up of parts within parts.
* 🎙️ Making & Breaking Genre****_by The Indie Game Talk Club._ Paul and Dusey talk about onboarding, monetizing, and the power and limits of genre.
### Inspiring & Non-roleplaying
Design tools, theory, and inspiration from the world beyond tabletop rpgs.
* **💡** Book Covers of Note Sept. 2026****_by Casual Optimist._ This month revealed an amazing crop of book covers from the literary space.
* ❤️ Why All of Our Games Look like Crap****_by The Bottom Feeder._ "...why do my games look the way they do, when other more fancy, more expensive art styles are available?
* 🗄️ Annual Report Archive.**** Before mankind was cursed with PowerPoint, companies used to design annual reports—a lost art of layout, data, and design.
* 🗄️ 50 Watts Archive.**** "A growing archive of weird and wonderful visual ephemera from around the world." A great collection of illustrations.
* Bezier Game.**** If you're trying to learn the pen tool in Affinity or Illustrator, this browser game will help! I wish it had the solutions to some of these.
### Design Archive
Old, missed, famous, and overlooked articles for the newsletter.
* Negotiating with Monsters****_by Dungeon Fantastic._ There's something illuminating here about designing NPCs, especially for psycho PC interactions.
* The Cowardice of Incremental Modifiers****_by Was It Likely?_ The increments are boring. They're inert. They betray play for vanity. Boo! Hiss!
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****What do the emojis mean?****
They're a visual shorthand for non-blog links, including resources (📁), archives (🗄️), inspiration (💡), podcasts (🎙️), and videos (📺). My favorites for the month get a heart (❤️).
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### Missed the last issue? Read it here.
The Explorateur: Issue #23Monthly jams, critique, theory, and resources for rpg designers.Explorers DesignClayton Notestine
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Explorers Design_is a production of Clayton Notestine. If you liked this issue, please consider liking, sharing, and subscribing._
