New! Campaign Planning Class, Free RPG Day, Game Review, and Summer
Heya! My work will be included in Free RPG Day which takes place on Saturday, June 25th this year. “One Night in Bain House”, a micro RPG that inspired One Night in the Catacombs, will be included in this year’s Level 1 Anthology from 9th Level Games.
Published by 9th Level Games, this year’s designers and our games are as follows:
Gabrielle Rabinowitz - The Victor’s Tale
Dustin Winter - Battle of the Bards
quinn b. rodriguez - sunlight… a feverdream for an unwilling god and a devoted saint
Community Resilience and Social Equity Lab - Judas, a dinner party
Steffie de Vaan - Wights
Graham Gentz - Old Gods of Media
Monica Valentinelli - One Night at Bain House
Adriel Lee Wilson - Maenads, a Savage Sisters sheathe
Kyle Ott & Desks and Dorks - Vessel
Nat Mesnard & Patrick Watson - Gods of Rock
Dare Hickman - The Slate
V.R. Collins - The Stars Were Many
Zane Graves - The Marquis
Alexi Sargeant - To Wield the Blade of Ages
Jim Dagg - Insubordinate
If you’re keen on designing your own micro RPG, you can submit it to 9th Level Games for next year’s anthology. Instructions are toward the bottom of the Level 1 Anthology page.
In more “One Night…” news, I wanted to share that @Alasdair Stuart recently wrote a One Night in the Catacombs review for his pop culture newsletter titled The Full Lid. Alasdair’s newsletter is great and delivered every week—check it out!
You might recall I wrote an essay for Kobold Guide to Gamemastering about campaign planning. I talked a bit about how you can plot your campaign using a spiderweb, and this shape will help you guide the story without railroading your players. Since the essay was first printed, some of you requested more explanation and examples. I’m happy to report I’ll be teaching a two-hour workshop in August through the Rambo Academy for Wayward Writers called Planning Your Tabletop Campaign. This workshop will include general tips, but also a deep dive into my method for narrative design along with some fantasy-themed examples. You do not need a copy of the essay to participate. I’ve got you covered! Scholarships are available. There will be slides. Oh yes.
In other news, it’s summer here and I’m crossing my fingers for a quiet, sunny one. I suppose I’m feeling like many of you. One part, there’s so much to do and experience. Another part, eh? Meh. A phrase I’ve been repeating lately comes to mind: “The only way out is through.” For me, that means falling into work and enjoying the warm weather when I can.
I’d like to leave you with something fun—so here’s a non-dairy fruit dip. Take one pint vegan sour cream, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Add a splash of vanilla. Annnd...whip it good! It’s a lightly-sweetened way to add a little extra for your summer berries. If you’re hoping for something a little heartier, add granola and voila! Breakfast! Tasty snacks!
‘Til next time... Stay cool, stay safe, stay healthy.