labyrinthlurker

[labyrinthlurker]

Some visual inspiration for my character in an upcoming solo rpg campaign.

[labyrinthlurker]

My favorite One Page RPG Jam entries # 4. Auctōrātus - Mechs v Monsters - arena style! Feels a little like a boiled down #battletech but actually fun! The #rondel mechanic at the center of this game is top tier gold star mechanic that I can see blowing up in popularity. Another beautiful design and layout example. You could have a lot of fun designing arenas for this game. Could this be used to play #Lancer solo? Idk but I’m going to try! Lancer has so much cool fluff but an intense mech battle system that would just wear me out solo.

[labyrinthlurker]

My favorite One Page RPG Jam entries # 3. This is one of my tippy-top faves. #Drifts a solo cartography journaling game where you have no memory and you are traveling a land ravaged by sandstorms, drawing out old memories, and leaving lost civilizations for your nomadic character to discover. Hexcrawl and record all you can before your sand bike gives out on you. Super clean layout and design.

[labyrinthlurker]

My favorite One Page RPG 2024 entries #2 - Hawker a solo journaling hexcrawl. You play as a merchant traveling to distant lands to buy and sell goods and increase your renown. Ultimately trying to discover that legendary route that will make you a legend! Absolutely cool on it’s on, I think this paired with Ultraviolet Grasslands would be really fun!


https://nemysisrelapse.itch.io/hawker

[labyrinthlurker]

My favorite entries from One Page RPG jam 2024 so far. #MichiganDogman One of the most flavorful #Cryptid games I’ve seen. Super simple rules, tons of fresh stuff to discover and paint the world, cool design and layout. Just plain cool in general!

[labyrinthlurker]

One Page Rpg Jam 2024 on itch.io is really producing some excellent material this year! So many truly fun and innovative games! From a design perspective I’ve taken so much insperation, especially in one page design & layout. It’s come a long way since the Jam’s inception. Creators are really dailing in on the ability to pack as much relevant game info into a small space now. And further, the graphics and layouts now are just magical! I’ll probably post some of my favorite entries.

See for yourself…

[labyrinthlurker]

I can’t help but think of Samurai Jack while reading through Ronin TTRPG by Slightly Reckless Games. Keeping true to the Mork Borg (and all games in the Borg. Pirate Borg, Cy-Borg, etc) Ronin’s setting, Kage No Shima, is a dark, doomed, and dying world. It really sounds like a place Aku would be happy. I’m trying not to see it like that because the image I have for my game is more inspired by the artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi and Ukiyo-e style of the Meiji period. I want to keep it dialed in right there.

‘The air in KAGE NO SHIMA is THICK with the stench of blood and the promise of violence.”

~ from the Ronin core book

[labyrinthlurker]

I'm prepping for a new solo campaign using the Ronin solo RPG by Coishina Verde, creator of Notequest. Solo Ronin is considered a classic in the solo RPG sphere, it’s an essential solo rpg to play. During my preparation, I discovered that the new "Rõnin" had already been funded and released. Now, there's a new "Rõnin" on the block—this one made by Reckless Games. The Kickstarter-funded game is essentially a Samurai-themed version of Mörk Borg. The Reckless Games Rőnin has a Barebones edition is available for free on their site. I’ve only had a chance to skim through it, but I can already tell it will work seamlessly as a solo TTRPG. The book is full of flavor and tables, and to make things easier, there's an official solo PDF, *Tales of the Masterless.*

I had a dilemma: which Ronin should I use in my solo campaign? But then I thought, "Pffft, this is a solo campaign. Why not both? All of them? None? I can do whatever I want!" I highly recommend checking out both Ronins—both are available for free at the links provided.

[labyrinthlurker]

Not sure why I have s substack now, Not even totally confident I even know what substack is 🤷

[labyrinthlurker]

This was definitely someone’s last thing they saw before died. That thing looks like you only notice it when it wants you to but once you’ve seen this, you’re life span is over, bc the next move is going to be super-humanly fast! You will be reduce to pulpy red matter before the memory ever fades!

Now i just scared myself and don’t want to go to work today. When they ask for an excuse, I’ll send this picture :)

[labyrinthlurker]

After some fine-tuning, I’ve finally landed on a color scheme for my Kaiju-themed game, #kaijuHexicutioner. While I have access to #HexKit and an array of tiles and tools, my iPad is my go-to these days, so installation is off the table. Instead, I embraced the budget-friendly route with my free Canva account. To piece it all together, the “Hex Kit Tile Snapping Template” from ATellingEllipsis on itch.io has been an absolute game-changer for laying down tiles in that perfect hex style.

I’ll probably keep all the art/layout/design in this scheme. What do you guys think?

Just to clarify, I’m currently working on two Kiaju related projects inspired by son, Monster Brains blog, Shojio Otomo, Lancer, Yokai Hunter, and a million other things.

1 - Kaiju Hexicutioner - for Roll Up Jam on itch.io. A simple flavor rich hex crawl with a bunch of dailed in d66 tables for worldbuilding

2. - Unnamed Kaiju and Yokai Game – This hybrid journaling and tactical combat game draws inspiration from the battle boards seen in RUNE and *Magnagothica: Maleghast.* It features a unique mechanic of yokai collecting through physical cards, where players can collect, kill, buy, sell, trade, or even set yokai free. With a nod to *Shin Megami Tensei*, player characters can also acquire yokai (and potentially Kami) powers.

The story follows a young boy or girl who forms an unexpected bond with a kaiju in a post-apocalyptic world inspired by medieval Japan. Set on a small island once decimated by ancient Kaiju wars, the landscape bears the scars of battles between colossal kaiju and mecha. Over time, the survivors rebuilt, forming small settlements and a single large city, each with its own unique culture, customs, and religion. After years of peace and restoration, the island’s fragile tranquility is shattered when a notorious and powerful kaiju reappears, laying waste to the capital city and plunging the island into collective mourning over the shared tragedy.

Embark on a journey across the land, where you'll explore diverse landscapes and capture monsters and yokai, with opportunities to harness their power for yourself. Salvage materials to craft and trade, and interact with various factions and influential figures, gaining insights into their communities. Most villages and settlements exude a peaceful, cozy atmosphere reminiscent of *Animal Crossing*, *Stardew Valley*, and *Zelda*. However, be prepared to encounter numerous evil, cursed, tainted, and haunted locations along the way.

I’ll probably tie them together with similar themes and design.

[labyrinthlurker]

My current TTRPG Dev project - is a Kaiju SoloTTRPG hexcrawl and micro-setting. I’ve always loved Kaiju and yokai but two things inspired me to use them in my SoloTTRPG. One my 4yo son, and two one of my favorite blogs Monster Brains.

Earlier this year my son (3yo at the time) and I started watching Godzilla movies together while we’re both sick. I was watching the original black & white classic and he crawled up next to me and watched the entire movie in black & white and in the original Japanese with English subtitles. I saw his interest so I showed him Son of Godzilla next. Figuring he’d like Godzilla’s son. I was also trying to find the most kid-friendly Gojira movies. We’ve since watched a huge chuck of the catalog (last checked there were 38 films total. The vast majority produced by TOHO…oh and one with Brian Cranston lol). For my sons 4th birthday, a few weeks ago, all her wanted to get were Godzilla toys, which I happily obliged. We draw monsters and Kaiju together, watch clips & Kaiju toy channels on YouTube,, we video movies with his toys…we’ve fallen in deep!

The bond we formed over Kaiju is so far one of my favorite dad moments. I’ve liked Godzilla and giant robots since I was a little kid too, but I’ve never went full fanboy or got any deeper than watching the movies from time to time. The crazy part is he is the true fanboy! I’m in because he’s in! He doesn’t just love the Kaiju, he loves me, and or little fan-verse is formed and of love. I have a really cool kid.

The SoloRPG is taking all that, the Kaiju, the father and son, the love, the bond as the driving force behind it. The game is about a kid and a wounded Kaiju, creating bonds, friendship, and love in full destruction of the world as they know it.

[labyrinthlurker]

Currently Soloing: The Dark of Swordfish Islands. Hands down one the best settings/adventures/format ever made. Using Maze Rats by Questing Beast (Ben Milton) as the core rule set,

[labyrinthlurker]

Me getting ready for work.

This image probably originated from the works of the medieval illustrator Andrea Alciato, however it was likely a common motif in the Middle Ages. It’s possible this version of the image is a modern rendition. Anyone know where it originated?

[labyrinthlurker]

Gustave Dore (1832-1883)