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WiddershinsWanderings

@naeolin.bsky.social
768 followers 176 following 189 posts

TTRPG Fanatic | Editor | Blogger: widdershinswanderings.bearblog.dev

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Woefully Encysted Creature @forlornencystment.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
A new, unexpected entry in my series on Developing the Sandbox! I have gone down a rabbit hole of time (a wormhole?) & have gotten SUPER into using a calendar for my B1 game. Here, I talk about all the stuff you can track in your campaign calendar! #TTRPG #D&D #AD&D #OSR
forlornencystment.blogspot.com
Developing the Sandbox: The Campaign Calendar
This post is part of my series on developing the sandbox. You can read other posts in the series here . The series will, when necessary, go ...
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WiddershinsWanderings @naeolin.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I've been talking about play style preferences lately, but there's another aspect of table culture that I think is a key determining factor on whether a gaming table stays together. Whether you're playing Cairn, Mothership, or Vampire. widdershinswanderings.bearblog.dev/ttrpg-table-...
widdershinswanderings.bearblog.dev
TTRPG Table Alignments
A blog post where I compare a Tabletop Roleplaying Game session to having a communal meal, and why its important for everyone's expectations to be aligned.
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Rise Up Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
There are two pieces of tech that I have found really useful while building the Middle-earth Hexcrawl. As near as I know, they're innovations (although nothing is really new), so perhaps you would like to hear them! The first is called GEE BILL, WHY DOES YOUR MOM LETY OU HAVE TWO ENCOUNTER TABLES 🧵
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Yochai Gal @yochaigal.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Today on Between Two Cairns, @betterlegends.bsky.social, @bradkerr.net and I review The Ground Shakes Beneath Poxblood Parish by Mucilage., and answer the following question: "How do you encourage risky behavior in players?" Also we discuss ska for WAY too long. www.patreon.com/betweentwoca...
patreon.com
The Ground Shakes Beneath Poxblood Parish | Between Two Cairns
Sam, Brad, and Yochai review The Ground Shakes Beneath Poxblood Parish by Mucilage., and answer a mailbag question. How do you encourage ri
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WiddershinsWanderings @naeolin.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I've finished my series on Play Style Preferences inspired by @betterlegends.bsky.social 's RPG Preference Matrix. I think it's a great way of figuring out what everyone at a table wants out of their game. widdershinswanderings.bearblog.dev/play-style-p...
widdershinswanderings.bearblog.dev
Play Style Preferences: Lightning Round and Conclusions
A blog post talking about the rest of my play style preferences and why I think framing them as preferences is so important.
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Seraphina Garcia Ramirez 🔜 PaxU @seraphina.diceexploder.com · 01/09/2026
I wrote a manifesto. It's mostly for me, but maybe it can be for you too! seraphim-seraphina.itch.io/my-blog/devl...
seraphim-seraphina.itch.io
Write More Short Blog Posts: A Manifesto
Why? Because you wish you blogged more and you like citing yourself. Where? Your blog, or wherever else you want. I'm not picky. When? Whenever someone asks a question in a Discord server and you have...
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WiddershinsWanderings @naeolin.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Finally ponied up for physical copies of these two modules. Two great modules that gross you out to good effect.
Picture of two modules: Unicorn Meat and Against the Horselord.
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Maxim Lowe @maximlowe.com · 12/07/2026
I finally got around to writing my recap of Between Two Cons! Which ruled. This is the first post on my new blog, too! It includes pictures from the weekend, some favorite moments, and summaries of the games I played. More detailed play reports to come. blog.maximlowe.com/between-two-...
blog.maximlowe.com
Between Two Cons Retrospective
Two weeks ago, I traveled to Portland, Oregon for Between Two Cons, a "casual and inclusive convention dedicated to independent and old-school role-playi...
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Yochai Gal @yochaigal.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
The first Cairn Press "double feature" ends in three days! We are 200% funded, the zines are complete and ready for print, and we are fulfilling in the US, CA, UK, EU, AUS and NZ! Also, if you pledge for both zines you can get them for cheaper than retail! www.kickstarter.com/projects/cai...
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Dandyman @throneofsalt.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Today's post: I respond - at great length - to @samsorensen.bsky.social & co.'s review of Unicorn Meat. There was a lot I agreed with, a lot I very much didn't, and so it goes. throneofsalt.blogspot.com/2026/07/a-re...
throneofsalt.blogspot.com
A response to Dead Letters' review of Unicorn Meat
"The Unicorn in Captivity" from the Rochefoucould Unicorn Tapestries Sam Sorensen (plus Misha and Walid) did a review of Unicorn Meat over...
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WiddershinsWanderings @naeolin.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
No-brainer purchase. Hexagnome never disappoints.
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3d6 DTL @3d6downtheline.com · 03/07/2026
3d6 DTL dives head-first into @bradkerr.net 's #OSE Quick Delve Against the Horselord in our first recorded in-person session! Arson! Unnecessary taxidermy! Patricidal mandolin pluckers! Very sudden trees! #OSR #TTRPG #ActualPlay Links below!
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WiddershinsWanderings @naeolin.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Clayton continues to be one of the best sources of insightful yet practical information in the hobby.
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WiddershinsWanderings @naeolin.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
I'll be at the Cairn Press booth both mornings. Feel free to swing by for a chat and maybe buy a zine or two!
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Martin Orchard @orchardmartin.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
BLACKOUT is my first module for Mothership, taking your crew underground to restore a colony power supply, and finding some unexpected things... Featuring art by @emo-sludge.com pointlessmonument.itch.io/blackout
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Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
When a dragon has just 1 hit point and a maze of obstacles, combat is like an open-ended puzzle. The challenge: the player characters only have 1 hit point too—and the dragon has a lot fewer obstacles. A small playtesting update about death without hit points:
explorersdesign.com
Dying from the 1 HP Dragon
How does life and death work in this game without hit points?
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Skullboy @betterlegends.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Reposting because I truly believe we can make it! I only need about 40 more backers to reach my second stretch goal of drawing A BUNCH OF WEAPONS, ARMOR AND MAGIC ITEMS.
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warden @cairnrpg.com · 03/06/2026
The Cairn Press June Newsletter is out! sendy.cairnrpg.com/w/Ujuc96HCBR... Subscribe at news.cairnrpg.com!
sendy.cairnrpg.com
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Amanda P. will be at PAX Unplugged @weirdwonder.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Big News: Pilgrimage of the Sun Guard is officially back in print thanks to a publishing partnership with @plusoneexp.bsky.social! Cover art by @tonytranrpg.bsky.social plusoneexp.com/collections/...
plusoneexp.com
Pilgrimage of the Sun Guard
Quests in King Arthur stories are about ideals, conflict and temptation.  Pilgrimage of the Sun Guard is a solo prompt-based journaling game where you create a Sun Guard and travel alone on a quest, a...
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Rise Up Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
[angelic choir singing] A blog search that works!
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Woefully Encysted Creature @forlornencystment.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Next in my series on developing the sandbox, I wrote about how to breathe life into villages, hamlets, & thorps. These locations are the bread & butter of low level D&D sandbox play. They are different than towns & cities. How? Read on to find out. #D&D #AD&D #OSR
forlornencystment.blogspot.com
Developing the Sandbox: Villages, Hamlets, and Thorps
This post is part of my series on developing the sandbox. You can read other posts in the series here . The series will, when necessary, go ...
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3d6 DTL @3d6downtheline.com · 12/05/2026
Into the mines we go! Our abbreviated tour of @weirdwonder.bsky.social 's Orestruck scenario for the Cairn RPG concludes with burning tree sap magic, minecart mishaps, thieving bone bats, and one really big beastie. #OSR #NSR #TTRPG @cairnrpg.com Links below!
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warden @cairnrpg.com · 08/05/2026
The pre-launch page for the very first Cairn Press Double Feature is live! www.kickstarter.com/projects/cai...
kickstarter.com
Coming soon: Adventure Double Feature
Two brand-new adventures from Cairn Press: "What Haunts the Harwood" and "The Drops of St. Jerome"
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Yochai Gal @yochaigal.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Today on Between Two Cairns, @bradkerr.net, @betterlegends.bsky.social and I review The Knight Errant by @isaacisafraid.bsky.social, and answer a mootsack question about whether we have enough OSR modules already. www.patreon.com/posts/knight...
patreon.com
The Knight Errant | Between Two Cairns
The Knight Errant by Between Two Cairns on Patreon. Join Between Two Cairns's community for exclusive content and updates.
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3d6 DTL @3d6downtheline.com · 06/05/2026
We'll be LIVE ON STAGE at #BetweenTwoCons! (It's like our regular show, but we're all in the SAME SPACE. 🤯) Come to Portland! tabletop.events/conventions/... #OSR #NSR #TTRPG #Actualplay
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Amanda P. will be at PAX Unplugged @weirdwonder.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Big news! @3d6downtheline.com is playing through my newest Cairn 2e module Orestruck!
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Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Wrote a quick review of a Cairn adventure I’ve run a few times now. Give it a look. It’s free. www.explorersdesign.com/reviewing-bl...
explorersdesign.com
Reviewing Rise of the Blood Olms
The Cairn 2nd Edition adventure should be great, so what's missing?
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Grey Wizard - LATE PLEDGES ON KICKSTARTER NOW! @greywizard.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
START for BREAK!! RPG The new adventure for the award-winning, anime inspired TTRPG is live on Kickstarter. 👍 Back 🙏 Share 🎉 Rejoice www.kickstarter.com/projects/gre...
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WiddershinsWanderings @naeolin.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Always in the market for a Hexagnome module.
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Yochai Gal @yochaigal.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
I've created printable (and editable) pregens of all 20 Cairn 2e backgrounds. These took way longer than they should have. drive.google.com/file/d/1lscZ...
drive.google.com
Pregens.pdf
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Yochai Gal @yochaigal.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
As a follow-up to last week's post about writing modules, I wrote another post on writing adventures for Cairn, and how that might be different than other OSR systems. newschoolrevolution.com/writing-modu...
newschoolrevolution.com
Writing Modules For Cairn
Writing adventures for Cairn RPG is very similar to writing for other OSR systems, with a few additional tweaks. Before reading further, see my previous post...
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Ty @mindstorm.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
⚡ NEW BLOG POST! I'm back talking about adventure design, this time laying out a mental model for 'energy' inside of an adventure. It's a simple and effective way to categorize elements inside of the scenario and look for stagnation and chaos. Check it out! ⚡ www.mindstormpress.com/energy-coin-...
mindstormpress.com
Energy Coin Adventure Design
A mental model to frame up adventures.
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Yochai Gal @yochaigal.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Presenting our live recording of Between Two Cairns at Gary Con XVIII! @bradkerr.net, @betterlegends.bsky.social and I review D3: Vault of the Drow by Gary Gygax in another Gamer Blast from the Past! youtu.be/I_zrshbGR34?... Patrons received this video early.
youtu.be
Live at Gary Con XVIII: Vault of the Drow
YouTube video by Between Two Cairns
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WatcherDM (He/Him) @watcherdm.com · 24/03/2026
youtu.be/GnApAmrF2Rw
youtu.be
Cairn 2e Adventure Anthology 1 - Flip Through and Review
YouTube video by WatcherDM
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Martin Orchard @orchardmartin.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Blogpost: I've often mentioned the local meetup I run in conversations on here and elsewhere. Now, after 3 years, here's an overview of how I did it and what we've been playing. pointlessmonument.blot.im/60-systems-a...
pointlessmonument.blot.im
60 systems and 600 sessions. 3 years in the life of a TTRPG meetup. - Pointless Monument
I found 436 people who wanted to play TTRPGs in-person near me. Here’s how I did it and the 10 tips I learned along the way. In late 2022 I moved
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Zedeck Siew @zedecksiew.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
🚨TTRPG KEYSTONE ADVICE ALERT🚨 If you are a person who runs or plays roleplaying games, please read this. Internalise it. It'll save your table from aggressively wasting each other's valuable play time! 1/
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elmcat @elmc.at · 19/03/2026
Have been working on a new project for blog discovery. It's now live! Check out rootr.ing! A new small hub and webring for ttrpg blogs. Read about here: elmc.at/rootring-is-...
elmc.at
rootring is live!
rootring is a curated webring for TTRPG blogs: a place to wander from site to site, discover new writing, and follow the blogosphere.
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Nick LS Whelan @linkskywalker.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
While working on a more substantive project, I got to thinking about a maladaption I've noticed in many referees. Then a few hours later, a friend of mine did the exact thing I was thinking of right in front of me. So I wrote about it. www.paperspencils.com/referee-sabo...
paperspencils.com
Referee Sabotage – Papers & Pencils
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𝖂.𝕯. @icastlight.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
It’s hard to truly understand the immortality of an elf as a human player, but not hard to understand the mortality of animal-folk- therefore: icastlight.blogspot.com/2026/03/ratl...
icastlight.blogspot.com
RATLINGS NOT HALFLINGS: Or Why Beast Folk Are Better Than Demihumans
I bought some  tengu  from  Reaper  the other day just because I've always enjoyed corvid-folk and thought they would be a good miniature to...
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WiddershinsWanderings @naeolin.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
I wrote about my experiences teaching Cairn to middle school kids, but my advice works just as well for adults as it does for adolescents. widdershinswanderings.bearblog.dev/teaching-cai...
widdershinswanderings.bearblog.dev
Teaching Cairn to Kids
Lessons learned about teaching the OSR play style to middle schoolers using Cairn Second Edition.
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3d6 DTL @3d6downtheline.com · 15/03/2026
What's next for 3d6 DTL? Well... #NSR #OSR #TTRPG @bastionland.bsky.social
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ktrey @ktrey.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
d100 - Some More Specific Concealed or Secret Doors Detail for when a Dungeon Key is found to be Lacking blog.d4caltrops.com/2026/02/d100... #osr #randomtables #ttrpgs
blog.d4caltrops.com
d100 - Some More Specific Concealed or Secret Doors
A nother Random Table Resource to assist Referees with those often-under-specified Secret Doors. Some Dungeon Maps neglect to describe the...
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Yochai Gal @yochaigal.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Today on Between Two Cairns, @bradkerr.net, @betterlegends.bsky.social and I review DA2: Temple of the Frog by Dave Arneson and David J. Ritchie, and answer a mootsack question (and then some!). www.patreon.com/posts/151652...
patreon.com
DA2: Temple of the Frog | Between Two Cairns
Get more from Between Two Cairns on Patreon
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elmcat @elmc.at · 26/02/2026
I know, I know, I keep talking about the Bloggies. But I built an archive of all the past Bloggies Awards. If that's your kind of thing, take a look! You can also grab yearly OPML files of all nominees for your RSS reader. bloggies.org
bloggies.org
BLOGGIES ARCHIVE
Nominees, brackets, winners by year.
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Chris Airiau @chrisair.itch.io · 25/02/2026
This week on Ansible Uplink, @magnum-galaxy-games.itch.io joins me to review the @spacepenguinink.bsky.social Mothership publication, Resonant by @weirdwonder.bsky.social www.patreon.com/posts/151622...
patreon.com
Resonant, with Dave Kenny | Ansible Uplink
Get more from Ansible Uplink on Patreon
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Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
It's been a couple years since Reach of the Roach God was published, and I'm still thinking about how it pulled off stat blocks without stats. It's a load-bearing piece of tech that's criminally underused. www.explorersdesign.com/designing-lo...
explorersdesign.com
Designing Lore Blocks
An alternative to stat blocks designed for The 1 HP Dragon.
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Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Oh, you thought The Bloggies were over? The Bloggies haven't ended. They might never end. Vote in the Bonus categories this week! Ballot: forms.gle/d6YbnUqiuypv... www.explorersdesign.com/bloggies-2026/
explorersdesign.com
The Bloggies 2026
A yearly celebration of blogging in tabletop roleplaying games.
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Yochai Gal @yochaigal.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Cairn: Barebones Edition is available in Hardback, Perfect Bound, Stapled, and Coilbound from Lulu! And they all look great! www.lulu.com/search?sortB...
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Yochai Gal @yochaigal.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Today on Between Two Cairns, @bradkerr.net, @betterlegends.bsky.social and I review On The Hill by M. Allen Hall, and answer a mootsack question. www.patreon.com/posts/150510...
patreon.com
On The Hill | Between Two Cairns
Get more from Between Two Cairns on Patreon
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Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
We're in the final round of The Bloggies gladiatorial arena. You can find the results (with pie charts!) and round 4 voting form in the link below. There was a significant uptick of votes this round. Neat.
explorersdesign.com
Bloggies Breakdown: Round 3
After the third Bloggies Blog Bath: Who won? And by how much?
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