iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Rowan Sender, Eternal

sam “ludonarrative disinterest” sorensen @samsorensen.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

[rings bell] theoryslop! theoryslop! come get yer theoryslop while it's still hot!

one page. header reads "RPG DESIGNER THEORYSLOP ALIGNMENT CHARTS & SHEET." gray text under the header reads "You have 20 points to assign to each stat array, Pendragon-style. For tri- or otherwise multi-polar arrays, express the stats as ranges, e.g. “Gamist 1–7 / Dramatist 8–9 / Simulationist 10–20.”
subheaders followed by lines for writing read: "Designer: / Project: / Link:"
subheader reads "Binary Traits," followed by a list of silly game studies paired descriptors and space to write stats: "Ludologist / Narratologist // Game-as-Activity / Game-as-Object // Proceduralist / Anti-Proceduralist // Diegetic / Endogenous // Suitsian / Non-Suitsian // Closed Lusory Goal / Open Lusory Goal // Toy-Game / Meta-Game // Character-Locked / Authorial // Problem-Solving / Story-Telling // Rulebooks / Adventures."
subheader reads "Special Twinned Binary Traits (the Bartle Zone)," followed by gray text reading "Assign 20 points to each axis, but make a single roll when testing the combined traits." following is a two-axis chart, north-south reading "Social / Non-Social" and west-east reading "Aggressive / Passive."
in the second column, a subheader reads "Multi-Polar Traits" followed by shapes with stats at their corners: triangle, "Dramatist / Gamist / Simulationist"; square, "Agon / Alea / Mimicry / Ilinx"; hexagon, "Classic / OSR / Trad / Nordic larp / Neotrad / Storygames"; square, "Gamer / Actor / Socialite / Immersive."
a subheader reads "Skills," followed by a big list of 32 skills, with space for stats next to each: Academia, Acting, Art Direction, Blog, Cartography, Copyediting, Credit Rating, Day Jon, Game Studies, Graphic Design, Illustration, Layout, Line Editing, Livestream, Marketing, Networking, Operations, Organizing, Podcast, Printing, Production, Proofreading, Shitpost, Shortform Video, Social Media, Thirst Trap, Video Essay, Web Dev, Writ. (Adventure), Writing (Lore), Writing (Rules), Other: "
gray text reads "Sam Sorensen, September 2026"

same theoryslop designer sheet as before, this time filled out in handwritten green, for me, Sam. I skew towards problem-solving, goal-driven play, as well as towards adventures, imaginary worlds, and simulationism. the notable inclusions in my skills lists are a +6 in game studies, a +4 in academic, blog, layout, line editing, and adventure-writing, and a +2 in "museum," my "other" skill

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 17h

SLAKE IS OUT! The sands melt though the old rubber of mine-issued boots. Behind, a skiff smolders; mast broken, emptied of water. I finally took the plunge and set up a physical print for it on RPGtrader so go check it out! rpgtrader.com/products/997...

Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 29/09/2026

SLAKE is out now. Play as the crew of a skiff trying to eek out a life in the deserts. Grab the pdf or a print copy from RPG trader! rpgtrader.com/products/997...

rpgtrader.com

Slake on RPG Trader

Sands of Sevulla

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 29/09/2026

SLAKE is finished. I'm really proud of this one. It feels like a big step up for me. I finally took the plunge and set up a physical print for it on RPGtrader so go check it out! rpgtrader.com/products/997...

Reposted by Rowan Sender, Eternal

flyingrodent @flyingrodent.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Ten years of relentlessly hateful, comically elitist anti-democratic politics across the white people world, helpfully summarised. The wrong people are talking, the wrong people are deciding and it’s harming the careers of important people who actually matter. Smithers! Release the hounds

The incident fits a broader pattern in the discourse around 'free speech' and 'cancel culture': whatever comes from the top down is freedom; whatever comes from the bottom up is bullying and censorship. When Macklemore is dropped at the behest of the billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft, it's an exercise of the freedom of businesses to 'demonstrate their values' by deciding whom to platform. But when Ed Sheeran's fans decide not to buy tickets to his performances, or even demand refunds, it's bullying, mob behaviour. Since most people are not billionaires and do not own stadiums, they can exercise meaningful power only collectively. The collective exercise of power must therefore be demonised.

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 26/09/2026

I have to write a back cover teaser/summary :/

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Reposted by Rowan Sender, Eternal

Iris/アイリス 🏳️‍⚧️ @irisdescentbird.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

funniest rom hack reasoning of all time

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 24/09/2026

Working on art for Mirage (working name, but rapidly becoming the final name if I can't think of something better)

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Reposted by Rowan Sender, Eternal

pave+ @paveplus.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

no. 23: convoy #sst26 #spaceshiptember

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 22/09/2026

I've accidentally made a rules light interpolation of wildsea. I hadn't read it before working out the advantage system for my game

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 16/09/2026

I need a name for my desert pirate game for this month. The theme is blood and water.

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Reposted by Rowan Sender, Eternal

Alexander the Fine @alexrineh.art · 13/09/2026

Sunlight breaks through the clouds, birds chirp as if for the first time. The smell of hope fills the air.

Comment on itch.io
I am new to TTRPGs, what is 5e?

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 08/09/2026

I feel like I could sleep another ten hours

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 02/09/2026

Also, fabula Ultima framed as a monster hunter game would work very well. I used the odogaron as inspo for an alzabo esque villain and it's worked very well

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 02/09/2026

How do you, as a gm, handle things taking longer than expected?

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Reposted by Rowan Sender, Eternal

Jack de Quidt @notquitereal.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

ttrpg jam where the minimum player count is 100 players

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 26/08/2026

I've been thinking about MTG lately as a design space and what it would look like to revive the roleplaying game that is buried at the very bottom of its history.

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 23/08/2026

I worry I may be further off on Storm Rats V2 than I thought. Even since I rewrote it in like March, my design sensibilities and have refined quite a bit. It needs a lot of editing before it's where I want it to be.

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 20/08/2026

And the worst part of all of it is that I'm still feeling hurt and upset about the actual thing that happened. We talked and I'm still upset.

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 20/08/2026

The solution is for me to adapt to how they play, but what a few of the players seem to want out of the game isn't what I want.

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 20/08/2026

I don't even know if I like gming anymore. Or if I ever did. It's always been miserable for me. It's always like pulling teeth. I always put so much in and get nothing out.

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Reposted by Rowan Sender, Eternal

Aura @aurahack.ca · 19/08/2026

' ' MÉTAMORPHOSE

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 20/08/2026

They all sent me kind, reassuring messages. I want to die

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 20/08/2026

I had one of the worst sessions I've ever gmed

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Reposted by Rowan Sender, Eternal

Melsonian Arts Council @melsonian-arts-council.itch.io · 19/08/2026

If we could get around twenty thousand followers that'd be nice. No pressure of course, you're already following it. But if you know nineteen thousand nine hundred and ninety nine other people, maybe let them know?

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Reposted by Rowan Sender, Eternal

Konstantinos Dimopoulos @konstantinosd.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

A reminder on the importance of Wizardry. youtu.be/i4oOES5FhIg?...

youtu.be

Wizardry Was More Important Than You Remember

YouTube video by Pixel Playback

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 16/08/2026

I turned thirty and immediately got an old person injury

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 12/08/2026

Working out the layout aesthetics for Storm Rats V2. Pretty happy with it, but the main body layout needs a little *something*

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Reposted by Rowan Sender, Eternal

Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

One major purpose of TTGDA is to help tabletop game designers negotiate better publishing contracts. We just released the rubric of what we look for -- and info on how different publishers scored on the rubric. Soon we will also release a model contract. More at www.ttgda.org/contract-bas...

Tabletop Game Designers Association (TTGDA) Releases Scoring Rubric and Tabletop
Market Contract Analysis to Promote Equitable Industry Standards

Bridgewater, NJ – The Tabletop Game Designers Association (TTGDA) today announced the
launch of their Contract Scoring Rubric and publication of its Tabletop Market Contract Analysis
– 2026, a comprehensive industry report designed to share information about contract practices
and advocate for fair treatment, intellectual property protection, and designer involvement in the
tabletop game publishing process.
The report, developed by the TTGDA contract & grievance committee—led by industry veterans
Geoff Engelstein, Elizabeth Hargrave, Matt Leacock, and James Lowder—seeks to address the
wide disparity in publishing agreements across the industry. With many first-time game
designers accepting terms that may be disadvantageous, the TTGDA has developed a rigorous,
objective scoring rubric to evaluate publisher contracts.
“Our intention is to shine a light on these industry practices and lead to more equitable
standards,” says TTGDA Vice President Sen-Foong Lim. To assist in this effort, the TTGDA will
be releasing model contracts that adhere to the criteria established in the scoring rubric.
The full report can be downloaded at www.ttgda.org/contract-basics.
Key Industry Findings
The analysis of contracts from over 50 publishers reveals several critical areas where many
standard publishing agreements fall short of fair practices:
● Advances: Only two-thirds of publishers offer a baseline advance above the
TTGDA-recommended minimum of $1,000, while 20% offer no advance at all.
● Designer Involvement in Expansions: 40% of publishers retain the right to create
expansions without consulting the original game’s designer.

Intellectual Property Rights: 75% of publishers retain the rights to a game’s name after
the publication agreement concludes and rights to the design revert to the creator.
● Financial Transparency: One-third of publishers deny designers the right to audit their
books, and 10% include non-standard deductions to revenue before royalties are
calculated.
Moving Toward Standards
The Tabletop Market Contract Analysis includes aggregate results, with summary scores for
each individual publisher available to TTGDA members. However TTGDA would like to highlight
the top five scoring publishers (alphabetically): 25th Century Games, Fireside Games, Lunar
Punk, Plaid Hat Games, and UP Games.
“These results are not a call to avoid specific publishers,” says TTGDA President Geoff
Engelstein. “Rather they are a tool for designers to negotiate terms that include fair payment,
intellectual property protection, and a meaningful role in the final product.”
The organization plans to release semi-annual updates to the Tabletop Market Contract
Analysis as more contracts are reviewed and publishers revise their standard agreements.
About the Tabletop Game Designers Association
The Tabletop Game Designers Association is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization dedicated to
supporting designers of all types of tabletop games, including board games, role playing games,
card games, miniature games, and others, whether mass market, specialty, or hobby. Learn
more about us at www.ttgda.org.

Contact:
Geoff Engelstein
President
Tabletop Game Designers Association
president@ttgda.org
www.ttgda.org

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Reposted by Rowan Sender, Eternal

Seth Skorkowsky @sskorkowsky.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Happy Zero Cool Day to all who celebrate

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Reposted by Rowan Sender, Eternal

Indie Press Revolution @ipr.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Exciting news! Kotodama Heavy Industries has told us that Ryuutama: Natural Fantasy is reprinting and should be back in stock by the end of the year. THIS year!

The cover to Ryuutama: natural fantasy role play shows two travellers resting with their faithful be-ribboned dog.

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 08/08/2026

I finally splurged and bought myself a refurbished Thinkpad to serve as my work station and writing laptop

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Reposted by Rowan Sender, Eternal

Dr. Kill Everyone (Eclipse) @eclipse.gay · 04/08/2026

if you are a transfemme perverted ttrpg designer you have to survive

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Reposted by Rowan Sender, Eternal

Sam Robson @dungeonofthedragon.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Need a one shot for #ttrpg night? Build a magical, post-apocalyptic world as you explore it with #Magestar! You can grab it today for just $3.99. samrobsondmg.itch.io/magestar

samrobsondmg.itch.io

Magestar by Sam Robson

Build a map together as you explore a world changed by a magical apocalypse.

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Reposted by Rowan Sender, Eternal

Aaron Meyers @aaronmeyers.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

"Today is August 4, 2026" There Will Come Soft Rains By: Ray Bradbury

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Reposted by Rowan Sender, Eternal

Deric "083" Bindel @dericbindel.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Come check out this wonderful bundle! 44 great games for all ages, perfect for families to play together! This unit's got two games in here: A Good Plan Never Falls, a jenga-tower building heist game, and Weakless Universe, a nonsense worldbuilding game. rpg-trader.com/products/742...

rpg-trader.com

School's Out for Summer on RPG Trader

A bundle of 44 family-friendly TTRPGs for the holidays

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 04/08/2026

formatting this game is kicking my ass

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Rowan Sender, Eternal @rowan-sender.itch.io · 04/08/2026

I started reuploading some of my games on to RPG trader. Keep an eye out for Storm Rats v.2. I'm finishing up some layout stuff this week, then it will be up. It's had a complete overhaul of its systems and is much more of a complete game than the previous version rpg-trader.com/creator/1524...

rpg-trader.com

Rowan Sender on RPG Trader

I’m Rowan, an indie dev focused on small experimental TTRPGs. I also host the Eternal TTRPG Jam on Itch.io .

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