Avernus Labs
@avernuslabs.bsky.social
Making ttRPGs... eventually. Delayed for health (and marketing) reasons.
Finished this last night, and it was definitely twice as long as something I should have written.
The #BattleTech Defense Onion and 'Mech equipment article is coming along nicely for this week, but I did waste 3 hours making this graphic for it first. So it might release a little late today!
February 15, 2026 at 1:36 AM
Finished this last night, and it was definitely twice as long as something I should have written.
Oh yeah. Sure. I'll just write a #BattleTech article on the Defense Onion.
4,000 words later...
This is double the length I'm supposed to be aiming for with these articles, so I hope people enjoy it!
avernus-labs-rnd.beehiiv.com/p/the-defens...
4,000 words later...
This is double the length I'm supposed to be aiming for with these articles, so I hope people enjoy it!
avernus-labs-rnd.beehiiv.com/p/the-defens...
The Defense Onion
An essay on BattleTech 'Mech design and Defensive Equipment
avernus-labs-rnd.beehiiv.com
February 14, 2026 at 5:23 PM
Oh yeah. Sure. I'll just write a #BattleTech article on the Defense Onion.
4,000 words later...
This is double the length I'm supposed to be aiming for with these articles, so I hope people enjoy it!
avernus-labs-rnd.beehiiv.com/p/the-defens...
4,000 words later...
This is double the length I'm supposed to be aiming for with these articles, so I hope people enjoy it!
avernus-labs-rnd.beehiiv.com/p/the-defens...
The #BattleTech Defense Onion and 'Mech equipment article is coming along nicely for this week, but I did waste 3 hours making this graphic for it first. So it might release a little late today!
February 14, 2026 at 6:31 AM
The #BattleTech Defense Onion and 'Mech equipment article is coming along nicely for this week, but I did waste 3 hours making this graphic for it first. So it might release a little late today!
New #BattleTech design article! This one is on Artemis IV and Apollo FCS systems plus a surprise bonus tech...
...which won't be a surprise to anyone who's seen me build 'Mechs.
avernus-labs-rnd.beehiiv.com/p/problems-o...
...which won't be a surprise to anyone who's seen me build 'Mechs.
avernus-labs-rnd.beehiiv.com/p/problems-o...
Problems of Precision
An essay on BattleTech 'Mech design and Fire Control Systems
avernus-labs-rnd.beehiiv.com
February 7, 2026 at 12:35 PM
New #BattleTech design article! This one is on Artemis IV and Apollo FCS systems plus a surprise bonus tech...
...which won't be a surprise to anyone who's seen me build 'Mechs.
avernus-labs-rnd.beehiiv.com/p/problems-o...
...which won't be a surprise to anyone who's seen me build 'Mechs.
avernus-labs-rnd.beehiiv.com/p/problems-o...
I think it's still Friday for most of you, but since I'm in Australia this is my Saturday. I think I'd like to move my releases to about now-ish going forward since I do work Fridays.
ANYWAY! Have a #BattleTech essay on Internal Structure
avernus-labs-rnd.beehiiv.com/p/the-bones-...
ANYWAY! Have a #BattleTech essay on Internal Structure
avernus-labs-rnd.beehiiv.com/p/the-bones-...
The Bones of a Good Idea
An essay on BattleTech 'Mech design and Internal Structures
avernus-labs-rnd.beehiiv.com
January 31, 2026 at 11:15 AM
I think it's still Friday for most of you, but since I'm in Australia this is my Saturday. I think I'd like to move my releases to about now-ish going forward since I do work Fridays.
ANYWAY! Have a #BattleTech essay on Internal Structure
avernus-labs-rnd.beehiiv.com/p/the-bones-...
ANYWAY! Have a #BattleTech essay on Internal Structure
avernus-labs-rnd.beehiiv.com/p/the-bones-...
No post this Friday because I've had some medical issues come up, which have disrupted my whole week. Hoping to get it together by next Friday, and I'll be able to post a full ttRPG rulebook FOR FREE that has years of play-testing behind it.
January 23, 2026 at 10:54 PM
No post this Friday because I've had some medical issues come up, which have disrupted my whole week. Hoping to get it together by next Friday, and I'll be able to post a full ttRPG rulebook FOR FREE that has years of play-testing behind it.
I've got the second one up on itch now! This one is about the infamous Black Marauder from #BattleTech!
avernus-labs.itch.io/dmi-intellig...
avernus-labs.itch.io/dmi-intellig...
January 17, 2026 at 11:34 AM
I've got the second one up on itch now! This one is about the infamous Black Marauder from #BattleTech!
avernus-labs.itch.io/dmi-intellig...
avernus-labs.itch.io/dmi-intellig...
Imagine how many artists and creatives would never work with or trust me if I endorsed genAI.
Hrm. Choose between talentless losers who type prompts for a box to make shit up, or people with lives and experiences who create art...
Hrm. Choose between talentless losers who type prompts for a box to make shit up, or people with lives and experiences who create art...
"Posting about being against AI so much is a risk to your own brand!"
"Speaking out about it on your main socials is gonna make some people not wanna collab with you as a creator!"
"Companies aren't gonna want to sponsor you, you're a brand risk!"
"Speaking out about it on your main socials is gonna make some people not wanna collab with you as a creator!"
"Companies aren't gonna want to sponsor you, you're a brand risk!"
January 10, 2026 at 8:13 AM
Imagine how many artists and creatives would never work with or trust me if I endorsed genAI.
Hrm. Choose between talentless losers who type prompts for a box to make shit up, or people with lives and experiences who create art...
Hrm. Choose between talentless losers who type prompts for a box to make shit up, or people with lives and experiences who create art...
Reposted by Avernus Labs
Holy fuck. Well one thing is sure, no women will buy anything from @warlordgames.com. Asshole.
And before Bexit I did buy some models from them. Never again.
Did I mention 4P Press offers some lovely STL files of model ships and WWI planes, while providing a nice array of rules to cover such?😊
And before Bexit I did buy some models from them. Never again.
Did I mention 4P Press offers some lovely STL files of model ships and WWI planes, while providing a nice array of rules to cover such?😊
January 8, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Holy fuck. Well one thing is sure, no women will buy anything from @warlordgames.com. Asshole.
And before Bexit I did buy some models from them. Never again.
Did I mention 4P Press offers some lovely STL files of model ships and WWI planes, while providing a nice array of rules to cover such?😊
And before Bexit I did buy some models from them. Never again.
Did I mention 4P Press offers some lovely STL files of model ships and WWI planes, while providing a nice array of rules to cover such?😊
So much this. If I wanted real life, I would go outside.
The expectation of "realism" is a damned curse in game design, too.
The expectation of "realism" is a damned curse in game design, too.
continually irritated by takes about how sci-fi stories suck due to a 'lack of realism' that fail to understand that reality is often very boring and it takes a lot of extra work to make something both realistic *and* surprising, exciting, tone-relevant, y'know, the things people want from fiction
January 9, 2026 at 10:20 AM
So much this. If I wanted real life, I would go outside.
The expectation of "realism" is a damned curse in game design, too.
The expectation of "realism" is a damned curse in game design, too.
Okay, so I'm going to try to start publishing things where people can find them more reliably. I'm setting up both an itch and a Patreon for those purposes. Ideally, I'll be posting new content regularly.
First up? One of my #BattleTech fan fic projects:
avernus-labs.itch.io/dmi-minnesot...
First up? One of my #BattleTech fan fic projects:
avernus-labs.itch.io/dmi-minnesot...
DMI Intelligence Report - The Minnesota Tribe by Avernus Labs
A BattleTech fan theory, formatted as an in-universe document, on where the Minnesota Tribe is now.
avernus-labs.itch.io
January 9, 2026 at 1:26 AM
Okay, so I'm going to try to start publishing things where people can find them more reliably. I'm setting up both an itch and a Patreon for those purposes. Ideally, I'll be posting new content regularly.
First up? One of my #BattleTech fan fic projects:
avernus-labs.itch.io/dmi-minnesot...
First up? One of my #BattleTech fan fic projects:
avernus-labs.itch.io/dmi-minnesot...
Feels pretty good. I haven't had an actual original game written out properly like this since I wrote my first ttRPG 20 years ago.
Everything since then has been fan games or campaign systems for other games. Looking forward to the play-test!
Everything since then has been fan games or campaign systems for other games. Looking forward to the play-test!
January 1, 2026 at 5:05 AM
Feels pretty good. I haven't had an actual original game written out properly like this since I wrote my first ttRPG 20 years ago.
Everything since then has been fan games or campaign systems for other games. Looking forward to the play-test!
Everything since then has been fan games or campaign systems for other games. Looking forward to the play-test!
Working on a small project, a casual play-by-post "CivRPG" game for Discord servers and I ran into a fun design problem: I had to invent zero.
The trick was counting player agency as a trait with no stats and no dice rolls.
The trick was counting player agency as a trait with no stats and no dice rolls.
December 4, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Working on a small project, a casual play-by-post "CivRPG" game for Discord servers and I ran into a fun design problem: I had to invent zero.
The trick was counting player agency as a trait with no stats and no dice rolls.
The trick was counting player agency as a trait with no stats and no dice rolls.
I will no longer be working on projects for use with Savage Worlds.
To be fair, I'm mostly dealing with the issues of moving & medical issues, so it isn't like I was working on much of anything at the moment.
But damn. I can't be party to this. Charlie Kirk was a fascist. There is no defense.
To be fair, I'm mostly dealing with the issues of moving & medical issues, so it isn't like I was working on much of anything at the moment.
But damn. I can't be party to this. Charlie Kirk was a fascist. There is no defense.
September 14, 2025 at 12:50 PM
I will no longer be working on projects for use with Savage Worlds.
To be fair, I'm mostly dealing with the issues of moving & medical issues, so it isn't like I was working on much of anything at the moment.
But damn. I can't be party to this. Charlie Kirk was a fascist. There is no defense.
To be fair, I'm mostly dealing with the issues of moving & medical issues, so it isn't like I was working on much of anything at the moment.
But damn. I can't be party to this. Charlie Kirk was a fascist. There is no defense.
Alright! Up early, got breakfast. It's time to write some cosmic horror adventures for Savage Worlds. Until suddenly... Oh.
May 14, 2025 at 2:41 AM
Alright! Up early, got breakfast. It's time to write some cosmic horror adventures for Savage Worlds. Until suddenly... Oh.
Excellent! I have performed... uh... step one of game design.
Did you know, step two is really hard?
Seriously, Will's advice is helpful across more than just the visuals. My boss fight design is DIRECTLY inspired by LoK: Soul Reaver; I've written an entire campaign based on Dino Crisis & Virus.
Did you know, step two is really hard?
Seriously, Will's advice is helpful across more than just the visuals. My boss fight design is DIRECTLY inspired by LoK: Soul Reaver; I've written an entire campaign based on Dino Crisis & Virus.
my biggest little tip for design (game, graphic, visual) is to always be compiling reference all the time. get a folder and fill it with stuff you like. a stack of books or games you like. etc. fill the mind library with work that surprises you
March 25, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Excellent! I have performed... uh... step one of game design.
Did you know, step two is really hard?
Seriously, Will's advice is helpful across more than just the visuals. My boss fight design is DIRECTLY inspired by LoK: Soul Reaver; I've written an entire campaign based on Dino Crisis & Virus.
Did you know, step two is really hard?
Seriously, Will's advice is helpful across more than just the visuals. My boss fight design is DIRECTLY inspired by LoK: Soul Reaver; I've written an entire campaign based on Dino Crisis & Virus.
... Shit. I gotta add these now.
if you're making a fantasy TTRPG, I think one of the things you should include is "in universe oaths and curses"
like, my paladin isn't going to be going "JESUS CHRIST!" when finding a scary thing, he's gonna be like...saying something else, provide the something else
like, my paladin isn't going to be going "JESUS CHRIST!" when finding a scary thing, he's gonna be like...saying something else, provide the something else
March 21, 2025 at 9:16 PM
... Shit. I gotta add these now.
Okay so good news: the rabbit hole of Orion Imperial naval doctrine did actually make designing the Republic Navy better and more interesting, as well as giving me strong lore reasons to provide the Bwa Hir multi-role fighter as the preferred platform for player characters.
Well this backfired horribly. I forgot that if the IRN is all Imperial hand-me-downs, I have to design the Orion Empire's tactics first.
Scope creep, GO! Savage Starfighter will now include a bonus section about the military and tactics of a faction that isn't even in the campaign.
Scope creep, GO! Savage Starfighter will now include a bonus section about the military and tactics of a faction that isn't even in the campaign.
March 9, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Okay so good news: the rabbit hole of Orion Imperial naval doctrine did actually make designing the Republic Navy better and more interesting, as well as giving me strong lore reasons to provide the Bwa Hir multi-role fighter as the preferred platform for player characters.
Today in #ttRPG #gamedev I am going to be writing military doctrine & designing starfighter stats for the Isocene Republic Navy!
The Republic Navy consists of salvaged vessels of the Orion Empire pressed rapidly into service to address piracy that arose in the wake of the Imperial Withdrawal.
The Republic Navy consists of salvaged vessels of the Orion Empire pressed rapidly into service to address piracy that arose in the wake of the Imperial Withdrawal.
March 7, 2025 at 12:21 AM
How about growing with GIT THE FUCK OUTTA HERE?
Blocked.
Blocked.
February 26, 2025 at 5:29 PM
How about growing with GIT THE FUCK OUTTA HERE?
Blocked.
Blocked.
Australian job hunt is hard work. But in between real responsibilities, I've started writing a mini-campaign to serve as a tech demo for my Savage Starfighter combat rules.
The campaign is a combination of Le Morte d'Arthur and Enterprise vs. Japan for its main inspirations. That's a sentence!
The campaign is a combination of Le Morte d'Arthur and Enterprise vs. Japan for its main inspirations. That's a sentence!
February 8, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Australian job hunt is hard work. But in between real responsibilities, I've started writing a mini-campaign to serve as a tech demo for my Savage Starfighter combat rules.
The campaign is a combination of Le Morte d'Arthur and Enterprise vs. Japan for its main inspirations. That's a sentence!
The campaign is a combination of Le Morte d'Arthur and Enterprise vs. Japan for its main inspirations. That's a sentence!
I'm closeted, but I'm trans. The American election results are an extreme danger to my life. The time, money, and resources I thought I had to dedicate to this company are gone now. I'm doing everything I can to get out before it's too late.
I hope some day I can work on what I love again.
I hope some day I can work on what I love again.
November 6, 2024 at 2:53 PM
I'm closeted, but I'm trans. The American election results are an extreme danger to my life. The time, money, and resources I thought I had to dedicate to this company are gone now. I'm doing everything I can to get out before it's too late.
I hope some day I can work on what I love again.
I hope some day I can work on what I love again.
It's been a bad first year for Avernus Labs. My production time got replaced with surgical recovery time, & now I'm quitting the job that was my production budget to work somewhere healthier. This means any serious release schedule is out the window. I will re-assess what this account is for soon.
October 18, 2024 at 4:27 PM
It's been a bad first year for Avernus Labs. My production time got replaced with surgical recovery time, & now I'm quitting the job that was my production budget to work somewhere healthier. This means any serious release schedule is out the window. I will re-assess what this account is for soon.
I have been very quiet for the past 5 months because I'm in a bad full-time job. The good news is I might be quitting REALLY FAST and really soon, and once I'm out from under this weight I should be able to make proper progress again.
Good things to come in 2025 once the move gets sorted.
Good things to come in 2025 once the move gets sorted.
September 10, 2024 at 8:56 PM
I have been very quiet for the past 5 months because I'm in a bad full-time job. The good news is I might be quitting REALLY FAST and really soon, and once I'm out from under this weight I should be able to make proper progress again.
Good things to come in 2025 once the move gets sorted.
Good things to come in 2025 once the move gets sorted.
Ooo. MST3k did Doctor Mordrid? How did I miss that?
September 10, 2024 at 2:40 PM
Ooo. MST3k did Doctor Mordrid? How did I miss that?