Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Every now and then I have an epiphany and come to the conclusion that I should post more often. Write shorter posts, maybe be more of a blog and less of a wiki that’s updated every odd month. It has come to this again, so here’s my next shot.
Appx. N Jam 2026
I’ve decided to join the Appx. N Jam this time, and I’m glad I did. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept (and for some reason hesitant to click the link), itch.io jams are a sort of open contests/community creative enterprises, where anyone can join and submit their creation. Some are very loose, while others have stricter rules.
The Appx. N Jam is a homage to the fantasy and science fiction authors that served as inspiration for (not only) the first versions of Dungeons & Dragons. Each participant is given a fictional title in the style of these influential works. The goal is to create something TTRPG related using the title you’ve received, and a lot of the fun comes from the way people treat the titles. Some take a very literal approach, so something called Red Zombies from the North would be an adventure about killing red-tinged shambling undead coming from the north. Others only take some initial spark of inspiration from the title and build from there. You get all kinds of approaches there.
Since there’s no set system, you can make your submission for just about anything. D&D is actually a marginal minority, people seemed to gravitate more towards OSR. At a glance there’s a lot of Shadowdark and Cairn. There are also obscure systems such as Violence, and a lot of system-neutral modules.
People really did a great job. I’ve only seen a couple of the 332 entries, but so far I’ve seen some really terrific ideas, often wonderfully laid out using the format constraints. That’s the one other thing you have to keep in mind, you’re limited to 4 A5 or 8 A6 pages. What some authors managed to do with such limited space is truly wonderful!
As I was saying I decided to join. Getting out of the comfort zone again, even more because I joined some eight days before the deadline. Curiosity (stay tuned!) got the better of me and I received my title – Corpse Callers of the Sunless Sphere. Definitely one of the better ones, so I got to work!
Corpse Callers of the Sunless Sphere
Having received my title I had to come up with a module. An adventure module seemed like a fine way to join the jam. I wanted the Corpse Callers to be central to the story, with the Sunless Sphere being somewhat important, but perhaps not that much. It didn’t take long and I had the premise planned out. The Corpse Callers are taking the dead and you have to do something about it!
It seemed to me that this will not be a slow burn, but rather a fast-paced action adventure oozing urgency. And desperation against a higher power in the form of the Corpse Callers, an enigmatic and more advanced society from beyond. I decided to make it system-neutral and keep the setting fleshed-out to a degree that allowed fine-tuning. In essence I wanted to give the DM and players the option to choose the style and setting. Near future space horror? Got it. Pulpy Sword & Planet? Gotcha. Goofy cowboys vs. aliens? Go ahead. You can read the tie-in story below.
You can get the module here – Corpse Callers of the Sunless Sphere. It’s free to download, and if you’re reading this while it’s fresh, it’s probably still possible to vote.
Even though I wanted to provide freedom in the choice of setting and style, I imagined the adventure module to be mostly Sword & Planet. A party of pretty low-tech (possibly fantasy) characters thrown into the world of high-tech science-fantasy villains. So far in the comments people are praising the Sword & Planet vibes, so I guess I managed to pull this off!
If you’ve read the module, and it’s quite short at four A5-pages, you already know there will be a sequel. Since it’s not part of any jam, and I have many unfinished projects as it is, I will not be giving a release date. But I had lots of fun designing Corpse Callers of the Sunless Sphere to just let it end, and I have ideas that I’d love to use.
Recommended Entries
Of the few submissions that I read there are some that I would like to recommend. In no particular order, I would like to mention these:
- The Sceptre of Sin by scragend – Visceral horror with stunning visuals.
- Time’s Needle by Caravan Cult – Pick this one if you like messing with time.
- Murmurs from the Moongate by HearthValley – Probably my favourite, another amazingly horrific space horror entry.
- Cemetery of the Silent Monks by Exeunt Press – You’re used to quality from Exeunt Press. This one combines Mörk Borg with zonecore.
Spreading out
To join the aforementioned Appx. N Jam I had to create an itch.io account. I have since uploaded some of my works there, so I have more coverage. Itch, being a marketplace, has much better analytics regarding downloads than the hosting of this site. And I get more reach this way.
I’ve used this as an excuse to update some of my older stuff. Now there’s the Conclave of the Monkey Wrench D&D ranger subclass, as well as A Measure of Merrows containing some dark merrow goodies also for D&D. Both received a cover, so it looks better listed on itch. Especially with A Measure of Merrows I took the opportunity to practice before making stuff meant for sale. I think the cover came out quite well, what do you say?
This was also a perfect opportunity to join RPG Trader. You can now find Rashundai Games there, too. Again the tools they provide are better suited than what WordPress offers, and since I’m planning on actually selling stuff, I think this will be a viable outlet.
Combined with the Ko-Fi page I already had, Rashundai Games has pretty good coverage now. What I need now is more audience. I will do my best to do my part, that is writing and publishing. You would be really kind if you spread the word if you like what I do.
Video Game Shorts
A while ago I advertised that I will be doing video game analyses. So far I have several in progress and none finished. Until I get to finish at least something, I thought I could put short (really short) video game x TTRPG thoughts into these posts.
Today’s thought is about physical manuals. In these times when the physicality of video games is contested, finding a full box with the manual and perhaps other goodies is really cool.
I am fortunately old enough to remember brochures in the jewel cases or cardboard boxes alongside CDs or DVDs. Some of the manuals were really beautiful, and contained additional lore (or the only lore in some cases), or artwork. Some contained clues, and some even vital information, like the prehistoric version of DRM, where the game asks for a code from the manual.
To be honest, I don’t own that many physical releases, because most of the games I had came bundled with gaming magazines. I still have most of the boxes, though, and some are really great. I really like the manual to Throne of Darkness (available on GoG with at least a PDF version), and look at the cool map I got with my Borderlands GOTY!
How is this TTRPG related? A lot of campaigns I played were inspired by video games. I never ran one, but only because we couldn’t find the time, as always. I actually wanted to run a game set on Pandora from Borderlands, and the map over there is a great prop for that. As for Throne of Darkness, the game has lot of neat features, and basically you can use the manual as a setting guide. There’s still work to do, but you can find enough to get you started in there.
So check your garages, attics, or parents’ houses, for old video game boxes, and maybe you’ll find a setting for your next game, or at least some inspiration!
What’s next?
There are several things I’ve got planned for September. In about a week there will be a longer article that’s part of my collaboration with a great TTRPG blogger from Germany. I’ve already hinted at the subject, and if you visit this page regularly, you might have already got some idea.
I will not write down how many unfinished projects I have on drawing table, but there’s one that’s nearing the finishing line. I firmly believe it should be out in September, and it will finally be something playable again.
There’s of course my Lorwyn series, and I promised a How To article on Kithkin. It’s in progress and I will finish it within a month, though I prioritised the jam and other stuff in these summer months. Like melting from the heat. There’s also another series, recently re-branded as Digging Better Dungeons, that I’ve been neglecting, and I mean to do something about this as well. There are still articles that I want to get out, so bear with me.
Swordtember 2026
Last but not least, there’s the #swordtember challenge by Faith Shaffer. You get a prompt list and every day you create a sword based on the prompt. Artists draw and paint, and we TTRPG creators write the fluff and crunch, while also trying our best to make some art to go with it. I finished some days last year, though most days remained as quick sketches or unfinished Krita projects. I would love to eventually finish all of them, but until then, have one of the finished ones. The prompt was “rot”.
This year I’m in again, and I’ll try to do it the way it’s supposed to be. Finish one sword every day, at least have a sketch and short description. Last time there were alternative prompt lists by fans; I’ve seen at least three other than the original. My four year old daughter showed some interest in swords lately, probably because Merida and Raya wield them. I’ve been asking her about what sorts of crazy swords can she think of, and we’re making our own list. So I’ll be working on two entries daily, and I wonder how long I’ll be able to keep up. I’ll probably upload our list (still in progress) on September 1st, along with the first two swords, so stay tuned!
Final Remarks
Just to be sure, I’m not affiliated with any entity mentioned in the article, so if I endorse something, it’s my free will and I receive no compensation. The typeface used for title and body text in the Entropic modulator is BN Arora by the great Brandon Nickerson, go check out his site!
This was meant to be short, but it’s a ten minute read. Hope you didn’t mind. As always thanks for reading, and an even larger thanks for every share and comment. Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss anything!