iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

More Stampede Wasteland posting, because I'm working on it Seriously again, and I still really like this bit about morale checks I came up with:

Screenshot of text that reads:
Morale Checks
When fighting, most rational things aren’t going to fight to the death. It’s far better to escape to fight another day than to die stupidly. When an enemy has half or less of their Hits remaining, make a morale check by picking out what their vibe is and rolling a d6. For groups of goons, make the check once their total numbers are half or less.
Table XX: Morale Vibes
1d8 The Vibe Fight or Flight - Flee Chance
1 Fool 3/6
2 Vermin 4/6
3 Zealot 2/6
4 Beast 1/6
5 Schemer 5/6
6 Professional 2/6
7 Coward 6/6
8 Walking Natural Disaster 0/6

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

All the classes in Stampede Wasteland have their own unique twists, and for this new set I'm working on, just figured one out. The idea of the "monster hunter" is Frankenstein's monster + Van Helsing and now its powered by weird and ancient nanotechnology.

Screenshot of text that reads:
Hook: undead and nanotechnology
You have a Hunting Tool (incorporated into your fighting style) created from the nanotech that animates your body and you can train your nanites to reshape it -> your abilities

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

The six main character options for this are: Antiquarian, Spiritualist, Surgeon, Inventor, Adventurer, and Dilettante. But, if I've got the room for it, I also want to squeeze in these four,

Screenshot of text that reads:
Weird & Impossible Characters
Awoken Antediluvian
You discovered and freed from: a cursed tomb, a crystalline creche, the frozen wastes
Celestial Traveler
You come from: the Lunar craters, the Martian canals, the Venusian jungles
Promethean
You were created to be: a wretched experiment, an artificial soldier, an eternal servant
Immortal Sorcerer
You stole power from: an ancient demon, a slumbering sea-god, a mighty vampire

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

For my One Page RPG jam entry, there are two kinds of Cool Items, inventions and occult relics. Here's how occult relics work: (Horrors are one of three kinds of "harm" you can take. Your 3 stats also form 3 different "healths")

A screenshot of text that reads:
Occult Relics
Artifacts, grimoires, anything holy, profane, occult, or otherwise strange.
Roll on the table to determine the power of the relic and the drawback it holds.
Take one horror to use the relic’s power.
Take one horror when handling an unknown occult relic for the first time. The power and drawback are not immediately known.

Material
1. Paper
2. Book
3. Jewelry
4. Wood
5. Metal
6. Stone
7. Glass
8. Unknown

Powers
1. Protection
2. Fire
3. Darkness
4. Cleansing
5. Cursing
6. Summoning
7. Projecting
8. Killing

Drawbacks
1. Haunted
2. Bleeding
3. Hungry
4. Blinding
5. Beacon
6. Draining
7. Whispering
8. Corrupting

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

I am going to show off one of the weird science guns I bashed together, because it turned out really good,

A strange looking rifle kitbashed from various implements.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Put all my itch stuff on sale! Stay cool and play some ttrpgs. itch.io/s/193516/ost...

An image with text that reads "Summer Sale".

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

You can flip extracted resources for credits (to pay off debt) or stash them away for later to use in crafting upgrades and other unlockables like so: pic 1 are some upgrades you can get, pic 2 are unlockable downtime modules (more downtime actions) you gain access to by filling clocks

Screenshot of text that reads:
Claymore mines: Deployable explosives. Consumable.
1x Stack, resource: mineral
PM War Sword: Large two-handed close combat blade. Module.
1x Stack, resources: mineral + mineral
Personal Shield: protect against physical attack. resistance vs ballistic damage.
1x Stack, unstable tech
Ammunition Forge: Use resources to manufacture ammunition. Deployable. 2 backpack slots.
1x Stack, unstable tech, resource: mineral

Screenshot of text that reads:
UNLOCK
MEDBAY: organic resources
STATION LOUNGE: mineral resources
ARCHON BAY: anomalous resources
FABRICATION: chemical resources
COMMS STATION: datic resources
BLACK MARKET: unknown samples
CASINO: unstable tech
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT: datic and credits
PATRONAGE: unstable tech
INVESTIGATION: unknown samples

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

In Ex Materia, you go on *dives* (missions) to the surface of the Monad Anomaly in order to extract valuables to turn around and sell in order to pay off your colossal debt. One of the main things you're looking for are *resources*. There are five main types of resources.

Screenshot of text that reads:
Organic: biological specimens and samples
Chemical: novel plastics and other synthetic extracts
Mineral: metallic and mineral ores
Datic: data-based extracts
Anomalous: unclassifiable exotic materials and information

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

saw the season 2 marathon cinematic, and i just want to point out, i've had these bad boys in Ex Materia for months now. (feels fun to be evidently tapping into a similar wavelength honestly)

Screenshot of text that reads:
Acid Lich
Corrupted archon frame, piloted by inscrutable forces, eldritch biomechanical monster. Select 3 abilities:

Corrosive touch
Nanofilamet wireblades
Jammer cloud
Larva pouch
Bone launcher
Absorbed machine gun

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

doing some really good ttrpg writing atm

A screenshot of text that reads: Equipment: weapons that hurt you

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

A little peek at the process of setting up a mission zone for Ex Materia

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

woah, look at this! having a lil sale on my ttrpgs on itch to celebrate another year around the sun itch.io/s/185143/hap...

A dithered image that reads "Birthday Sale. Wow!"

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Managed to find the original for some comparisons. Would have been cool if the minicon also transformed, but at that size that would be pretty tricky lol.

Mechanical Skull Studio Armada Starscream in jet mode next to the original release also in jet mode.

A photo of Mechanical Skulls Studio third party Armada Starscream and the original standing next to each other in robot mode.

A photo of the MSS Swindle minicon and the original in alt mode.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

here's a lil peek at some of what I've added. Most of these are "modules" which are effectively the action ratings that you roll with when you are on a mission.

Screenshot of text that reads:
ARES OMNIKILL : heavy platform coilgun, fires superdense slugs at sonic speeds
Ammunition
Shred-Hammer: like the warhammers of old, fires flechette charges on impact. Banned in the Oort Free States.
Ammunition

Screenshot of text that reads:
VPR Parasite: medium range rifle that fires energy leeching darts. Effective on both organic and inorganic hostiles.
Ammunition
Haze Field: deploy a cloud of nanodrones that release confounding mists and holographic illusions. Reports indicate illusions are invariably nightmarish, for reasons unknown.
Cooldown 2
Semiamorphous Bauplan: cutting edge fluid-nanite lattice allows for limited reshaping of the user's frame. Inspired by watching octopuses squeeze through cracks

Screenshot of text that reads:
PM Anti-tank SmartRifle: Target seeking railgun. Module. Ammunition.
Credits, unstable tech
Mobile Barrier Shield: Arm mounted shield. Module. Cooldown 1.
Credits, relic
CAPSTONE: Orbital bombardment: PM warsats deploy heavy fire on a single node, destroying all hostiles within the node. Once per dive. Deployable. 5 backpack slots.
Credits, unstable tech, relic, resources: datic + mineral + chemical
Requires 6 upgrades unlocked

Screenshot of text that reads:
Arc Thrower: Medium range, overheat mechanical systems. Module. Ammunition.
Credits, unstable tech
Defensive Discharge: Release a powerful electrical blast when you mark sync. Passive. 2 backpack slots.
Credits, unstable tech, resources: chemical + organic
ResurrectionEXE: Assign a single task to a dead hostile until whatever remains of its synapses burn out. Consumable.
Credits, resource: datic + organic

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

working on a scifi ttrpg means i get to put something in inspired by one of my favorite things, the data knife from titanfall 2

Screenshot of text that reads: Hackknife: combat blade that forcibly interfaces with digital systems. Stab a computer. It just works.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Here's a peek at the sheet I was using to organize the character creation steps and options

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

I've been playing around with Dither Boy *a lot* for Ex Materia, and it has quickly become one of my favorite toys. Some before/after examples;

A grayscale hand, reaching out. The bottom of the wrist is colored orange.

The same grayscale hand, but now dark blue with a neon outline and a dithered texture.

A photo of a stone statue of a woman prying her chest open.

The same photo of the stone statue of the woman, but now a vibrant blue and white with yellow highlights and dithered texture.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Another iteration on the idea, mocking up where different points of information goes. Point of Interest, Encounter type, Pressure track progress, and general label for the node.

A 3 by 3 grid of square, each square has a cross dividing it into four sections. In the upper two section are numbers ranging from 1-6. The lower left section has a circle, either filled in completely or empty. The lower right section has a letter A through I. Some square are connected by thicker lines.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

testing out some map generation for Ex Materia the old fashioned way. Trying to see what steps are be missing and what steps are unnecessary.

Photo of handwritten text and a diagram. The diagram is a 3 by 3 grid of squares, labeled 6, 4, 2, 5, 5, 5, 5, 2, 1 and then smaller in the bottom right corner of each square are labelled A through I. Text to the right of the grid reads:
A: Boss encounter
B: Ghost encounter
C: moment of wonder (1d6)
D: Anomaly -> E & Exfil
E: Anomaly -> J
F: Anomaly -> D
G: Anomaly -> G
H: Moment
I: Resource + Hostiles

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

friends and mutuals, you should add me on marathon if you're playing and we can die in dire marsh together

A screenshot of player information for Marathon 2026.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

You can grab Fractal Romance as part of this bundle! It's a game about exploration, exploring the Fractal Palace and helping its denizens, and also about exploring yourself and your character, looking for meaning. What will you find?

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

If you're there, you can snag two things that I wrote! (Layers of Unreality and Into the Riverlands) Not to mention about a thousand other fantastic zines from fantastic creators.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

once again, instead of writing the game, I am playing with shapes (just exploring style tests/cover sketches)

The words "Ex Materia" repeated in a horizontal column on top of a bright magenta half-tone texture.

The words "Ex Materia" below abstract, sci-fi symbols, on top of a seafoam green angular shape. The background is an edited landscape and filtered with halftones.

The words "Ex Materia" in the upper left corner, on top of a dithered image of a statue of a person holding their chest open.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

you're going to be able to move the realm map around like this

A set of six diagrams, each made up of squares arranged in a 3x3 grid. Each square is numbered with pips from 1 to 9. The upper three diagrams show the first row of three squares being shifted by one square to the right so that the three-pip square loops around and fills the space where the one-pip square was. The bottom three grids show the middle column shifting down one square, so that the 8-pip square loops around to fill the space of the 2-pip square.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Here's a look at some of the things you can find in the game so far (a green things trait, a local trait, and a location):

A screenshot of text that reads:
Gossamer
A green thing that is gossamer shimmers and flits and alights. It is a gleaming whisper, a snowflake on a sunny day, a seed wisp carried on the wind. It is temporary and beautiful and entrancing.

A green thing that is gossamer can always:
Wind around the heart and soul of a living thing
Suddenly vanish, only to reappear elsewhere
Create a beautiful illusion to act as a lure

When a gossamer green thing sheens and tempts, lures and entrances, dances and disappears, or in any other way ephemerally enthralls, it generates a token.

When a gossamer green thing touches something, it changes. It might:
Cause something to glitter like gold and precious stones, becoming the center of desire
Make something begin to fade, marking it as not long for this world
Conceal a hidden rot beneath a gilded beauty

A screenshot of text that reads:
Pillar
A pillar local is central to the community. They are a leader, an elder, or someone everyone turns to in times of trouble.

Vibes
Aged, wrinkled, but standing tall and straight like a mountain
Wearing old fashioned and traditional clothing
A commanding charisma that pulls people in

A pillar local can always:
Call together a meeting of important locals who will always attend
Consult the accumulated wisdom of a location
Dismiss a warning, thinking they know better

A pillar local can ask of the wanderers:
What will you do to prove that you are not here to stir up trouble?
You chose to leave this region once, why did I want you to stay?
What have you brought here that will inevitably cause a disruption?

A screenshot of text that reads:
Contemplative
A contemplative location is quiet and full of solitude. It might be an ancient tree in the center of a hidden clearing, a small library in the basement of an old manor. It might be an overlook at the top of a valley or a secluded hollow behind a waterfall. It is quiet and serene.

Vibes
Faint birdsong that floats between dense and lush foliage
Large boulders covered in patchwork greens of soft mosses
A constant soft shade cast by the canopy that muffles sound
The sound of windchimes and gentle pattering of rain
The trickle of moving water slowly shaping time and space
A footpath that winds in methodical spirals

While in this location, spend a token to:
Uncover a solution after time and meditation
Recenter a chaotic or disturbed inner balance
Learn from deep wisdom, worn into the space like grooves

While in this location you can always:
Catch your breath and emerge refreshed
Temporarily quiet the tumult
Experience a spark of inspiration

Stories, rumors, legends you might hear about in this place:
A mystic has meditated within the hollowed trunk of a great tree for 50 years
Sleeping in this place imparts dreams fully of cryptic wisdom
The stars do not change in this location, eternal constellations
The bodies of those who pass turn into piles of flower petals
The veins of leaves grow in the shape of letters spelling out poetry
Children have begun growing a third eye on their forehead

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

It is apparently national handwriting day, so here's a little peek at some notes on the "green things" ttrpg I've been noodling on

A photo of a page from a notebook with handwritten text in brown-green ink.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

i've been getting more and more into collage! hoping to continue to do so this year

A screenshot of a dungeon map. The map is created from a collage of various etchings by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, heavily filtered with halftones and paper textures.

An abstract collage of a hand, a moon, waterfalls, and a ring.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Leozack was the last small boy to arrive

A photo of Iron Factory's Leozack in robot mode.

A photo of Iron Factory's Leozack in plane mode.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Finally able to assemble my very large boy

A photo of Iron Factory's Liokaiser combiner transformer.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

The playbooks are compact, but evocative and interpretive. You play as Fragments, abstract forms that explore the Fractal Palace in order to come to some sort of actualization. You play for as long as you want to.

A screenshot of the Sailor playbook. The text reads:
Select one thing you are, one you are not, and one you could be.
Persistent, strong, lonely, weathered, drifting, salt-kissed, seeking, tired, hearty.
You can always: Chart a course. Read the stars. Find the right tune. Discard a card to: Put the wind in your sails. Drop anchor. Find true north.
Draw a card when you: Move on, never settling. Lose yourself in a storm. Carry an albatross.

The Mirror playbook. The text reads:
Select one thing you are, one you are not, and one you could be.

Guilty
Held
Wistful
Grieving
Soulful
Forgotten
Hiding
Waiting
Seeking

You can always;
Hold someone close
Remember what once was
Know what you should say

Discard a card to;
Reach inside your soul
Teach another the secret words
Show someone their true reflection

Draw a card when you;
Fumble the words someone needs to hear
Forget where you once came from
Let go of what you cling to

The Sunken playbook. The text reads:
Select one thing you are, one you are not, and one you could be:
Muffled
Airy
Static
Clinging
Numb
Fluid
Slumbering
Deluged
Clear

You can always:
Take on a new burden
Know when the tide’s coming
Want to reach out

Discard a card to:
Reach the end of a trial
Rescue another from the depths
Stand beside who needs it most

Draw a card when you:
Take two steps back
Stumble under the weight of your choices
Hide one of the puzzle pieces

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

12 fantastic games in this bundle! I contributed my LUMEN powered and TWEWY inspired action-fashion game, Vibe Check to the bundle!

Six illustrations of stylish cool people standing next to each other in a line. The background is covered in graffiti art.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

that new Control trailer really making me want to revisit a game idea i had a few years ago. PCs are part of a shady govt org that deals with malevolent dream-realm incursions. there was some sort of fungal network based technology too. never made it past some early design/art ideas.

A screenshot of a cover mockup for a game called "Compass: Oneiroscape Operations Manual". It is made up in a 70s-esque graphic design style, with a predominantly orange color palette. A simple eye graphic is in the center of an orange grid, from which multiple concentric circles emanate.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Also an example of a quick idea scrawled down in my pocket notebook I keep in my wallet, and the final version that I eventually made. Just to show the process lol

A super messy sketch of a skull and fire and rockets.

A collage of rockets, fire, clouds, a skull, and the moon rendered in magenta halftone.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

I keep a handful of different notebooks (some catch-all/small projects, others are dedicated to one specific project), but here's a grab bag

A photo of a notebook spread, covered in handwritten notes.

A photo of a notebook page of handwritten notes and a dungeon map sketch.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

working on some extra random tables for Stampede Wasteland

Screenshot of text that reads:
When you kill, rob, or whatever someone or something, roll to find out what was in their pockets or stomach or other place valuable and treasures might be found.
Cash
Bullets
Flash drive
Coded message
Orbital Saint Icon (locket)
Acid and bile
A human bone
Orthodoxy Propaganda pamphlet
Trail rations (gross)
Crawler ticket
Letter celebrating the last day before retirement
Stick of dynamite (lit)

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

It's a killer zine for a killer game, with some of my best layout work not gonna lie.

A screenshot of the first spread of The Forsake Reach which includes the credits.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

The Reach itself is also further fleshed out with points of interest you can encounter while traveling through space.

A screenshot of text describing mysterious points of interest.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

There are four factions that are also vying for the power the Singularity holds, the Cosmic Kudzu (overgrowing alien flora), the Empire of Symmetry (assimilating mechanical hivemind), the Inferno Punks (mad-max-esque coalition), and the Remnants (spooky and mysterious)

A collage of plants and body parts rendered in bright yellow halftone.

A collage of smog and gears and a skull rendered in cyan halftone.

A collage of a pyramid, a planet, a face, and clouds rendered in yellow halftone.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

basically a super easy way to kickstart a game of Necronautilus at your table. The Forsaken Reach is a forgotten and forbidden stretch of the Dead Galaxy, where a powerful Singularity is forming, which provides the central hook.

A screenshot of the interior of The Forsaken Reach that describes the Singularity.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Finished writing up the last hex for this lil mini-region and will get it posted to patreon tomorrow :) It features eels and also this new npc who has become one of my favorites

Screenshot of text that reads: Teek Drizzlesnout: Kinked tail from an old accident, torn ear from an old accident, missing whiskers from an old accident. Reckless, a juvenile sense of humor, and an inflated ego. Doesn’t take work too seriously, but loves the small sliver of authority it gives him.

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

not entirely sure what compelled me to make this in response, but, here it is nonetheless

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internet hermit josh @ostrichmonkey.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

I've put a curated selection of my #ttrpgs on sale for the autumnal season! Check out a mix of mysterious, frightful, and/or slightly chilling games! itch.io/s/161344/omi...

An image with text that reads "Oct 6- Nov 6. Ominous Autumnal Sale. ostrichmonkey.itch.io". The background behind the text is a half-tone image of a bunch of itch.io game thumbnails with a grotesque face overlaid on top.

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