Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
@backwardsttrpg.bsky.social
He/him. Designing indie ttrpgs
In beta: SPINE - A dark solo ttrpg about losing yourself in a book
https://backwards-tabletop.itch.io/spine
In beta: SPINE - A dark solo ttrpg about losing yourself in a book
https://backwards-tabletop.itch.io/spine
Pinned
NEW (FREE) GAME FORTHCOMING:
SPINE is a dark solo ttrpg about losing yourself in a book.
In SPINE, you are a researcher who has inherited a strange book from an estranged relative…
SPINE is a dark solo ttrpg about losing yourself in a book.
In SPINE, you are a researcher who has inherited a strange book from an estranged relative…
Reposted by Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
A wonderful weekend of deliveries of work by @backwardsttrpg.bsky.social, @strautmaskreplica.bsky.social + @bmars.bsky.social, & @worldsbeyondnumber.bsky.social
(All purchased myself)
(All purchased myself)
November 10, 2025 at 2:39 PM
A wonderful weekend of deliveries of work by @backwardsttrpg.bsky.social, @strautmaskreplica.bsky.social + @bmars.bsky.social, & @worldsbeyondnumber.bsky.social
(All purchased myself)
(All purchased myself)
Reposted by Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
My schedule is open for the end of the year, so if you're planning a zine for ZineMonth/ZineQuest or need a custom design for something else (cover art, poster...) hit me up! My DMs are open and you can reach me via my portfolio: jeanverne.design
November 10, 2025 at 2:19 PM
My schedule is open for the end of the year, so if you're planning a zine for ZineMonth/ZineQuest or need a custom design for something else (cover art, poster...) hit me up! My DMs are open and you can reach me via my portfolio: jeanverne.design
I loved Mech Week:
MECH WEEK was one year ago! Five days of mechs, heat, combat, pilots, and systems at Skeleton Code Machine. Here's a list of articles in case you missed them.
1️⃣ Part 1 of 5: Is Iron Man a mech? In which we ponder the Plantonic ideal giant robot.
www.skeletoncodemachine.com/p/mech-week-... #mecha
1️⃣ Part 1 of 5: Is Iron Man a mech? In which we ponder the Plantonic ideal giant robot.
www.skeletoncodemachine.com/p/mech-week-... #mecha
MECH WEEK: Is Iron Man a mech?
Live. Laugh. Launch a barrage of SRM-6 incendiary missiles.
www.skeletoncodemachine.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:48 PM
I loved Mech Week:
Lovely to see SPINE with such great company!
A wonderful weekend of deliveries of work by @backwardsttrpg.bsky.social, @strautmaskreplica.bsky.social + @bmars.bsky.social, & @worldsbeyondnumber.bsky.social
(All purchased myself)
(All purchased myself)
November 10, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Lovely to see SPINE with such great company!
Reposted by Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
Feast for a Sphinx is the gorgeous new module from the team that brought us Goblin Mail. Is it a wonder or a curse? Find out, this week in the bathtub! idlecartulary.com/2025/11/10/b... #osr
Bathtub Review: Feast for a Sphinx
Bathtub Reviews are an excuse for me to read modules a little more closely. I’m doing them to critique a wide range of modules from the perspective of my own table and to learn for my own module de…
idlecartulary.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Feast for a Sphinx is the gorgeous new module from the team that brought us Goblin Mail. Is it a wonder or a curse? Find out, this week in the bathtub! idlecartulary.com/2025/11/10/b... #osr
Reposted by Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
I appreciate the shout out from @explorersdesign.bsky.social for "giving [him] an excuse to be a freak" in our interview on book design, haha.
I recommend giving this a watch or at least reading Clayton's recent article on self-promotion 👇 in the comments
I recommend giving this a watch or at least reading Clayton's recent article on self-promotion 👇 in the comments
New ep
Ryan sits down with Clayton Notestine of @explorersdesign.bsky.social to follow up his recent article on How to Promote Your Work with our take on Self-Promotion, including the Do's and Don'ts of reaching out to bloggers and podcasters.
Ryan sits down with Clayton Notestine of @explorersdesign.bsky.social to follow up his recent article on How to Promote Your Work with our take on Self-Promotion, including the Do's and Don'ts of reaching out to bloggers and podcasters.
EP 291 | We Talk SELF-PROMO with Clayton Notestine
YouTube video by The Weekly Scroll
www.youtube.com
November 9, 2025 at 1:19 AM
I appreciate the shout out from @explorersdesign.bsky.social for "giving [him] an excuse to be a freak" in our interview on book design, haha.
I recommend giving this a watch or at least reading Clayton's recent article on self-promotion 👇 in the comments
I recommend giving this a watch or at least reading Clayton's recent article on self-promotion 👇 in the comments
Reposted by Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
If you've picked up Dragon Slayers since its release earlier this week, I'd love it if you left a 5 star rating on itch.
And if you haven't checked it out yet, get your eyes on this highly asymmetrical fantasy TTRPG!
gilarpgs.itch.io/dragon-slayers
And if you haven't checked it out yet, get your eyes on this highly asymmetrical fantasy TTRPG!
gilarpgs.itch.io/dragon-slayers
Dragon Slayers by Gila RPGs
Dragons! Quests! Adventure! Fantasy TTRPG with asymmetrical classes.
gilarpgs.itch.io
November 9, 2025 at 12:24 AM
If you've picked up Dragon Slayers since its release earlier this week, I'd love it if you left a 5 star rating on itch.
And if you haven't checked it out yet, get your eyes on this highly asymmetrical fantasy TTRPG!
gilarpgs.itch.io/dragon-slayers
And if you haven't checked it out yet, get your eyes on this highly asymmetrical fantasy TTRPG!
gilarpgs.itch.io/dragon-slayers
I appreciate the shout out from @explorersdesign.bsky.social for "giving [him] an excuse to be a freak" in our interview on book design, haha.
I recommend giving this a watch or at least reading Clayton's recent article on self-promotion 👇 in the comments
I recommend giving this a watch or at least reading Clayton's recent article on self-promotion 👇 in the comments
New ep
Ryan sits down with Clayton Notestine of @explorersdesign.bsky.social to follow up his recent article on How to Promote Your Work with our take on Self-Promotion, including the Do's and Don'ts of reaching out to bloggers and podcasters.
Ryan sits down with Clayton Notestine of @explorersdesign.bsky.social to follow up his recent article on How to Promote Your Work with our take on Self-Promotion, including the Do's and Don'ts of reaching out to bloggers and podcasters.
EP 291 | We Talk SELF-PROMO with Clayton Notestine
YouTube video by The Weekly Scroll
www.youtube.com
November 9, 2025 at 1:19 AM
I appreciate the shout out from @explorersdesign.bsky.social for "giving [him] an excuse to be a freak" in our interview on book design, haha.
I recommend giving this a watch or at least reading Clayton's recent article on self-promotion 👇 in the comments
I recommend giving this a watch or at least reading Clayton's recent article on self-promotion 👇 in the comments
Reposted by Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
There's still a week left in the TTRPG Tools Jam! We've had a bunch of neat projects submitted to help make games more easily accessible to folks, including rules summaries, character sheets, and an audiobook! Highly recommend folks look through and see how we're trying to get games to more people
TTRPG Tools Jam
A game jam from 2025-10-01 to 2025-11-16 hosted by Aaronsxl. In the vein of the TTRPG Resource Jam , this jam aims to create tools to bring indie RPGs to a greater number of people. These would likely...
itch.io
November 8, 2025 at 8:57 PM
There's still a week left in the TTRPG Tools Jam! We've had a bunch of neat projects submitted to help make games more easily accessible to folks, including rules summaries, character sheets, and an audiobook! Highly recommend folks look through and see how we're trying to get games to more people
Reposted by Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
I had a few extra proofs of SPINE, so I found a few Little Free Libraries in the area and dropped them off. I'm hopeful that whoever picks them up will pass them along as well.
One day, I'd like to send a few batches to folks I know in major cities (U.S.-only, likely) and have them do the same.
One day, I'd like to send a few batches to folks I know in major cities (U.S.-only, likely) and have them do the same.
November 7, 2025 at 2:55 AM
I had a few extra proofs of SPINE, so I found a few Little Free Libraries in the area and dropped them off. I'm hopeful that whoever picks them up will pass them along as well.
One day, I'd like to send a few batches to folks I know in major cities (U.S.-only, likely) and have them do the same.
One day, I'd like to send a few batches to folks I know in major cities (U.S.-only, likely) and have them do the same.
Reposted by Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
Hey.... check this out
Mystery! Danger! Audio files by @meghancaves.bsky.social you can play for a more immersive experience!
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/t...
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/t...
Heart of Glass: A Street Wolves Mystery
The Street Wolves are back in Heart of Glass, an adventure supplement for Street Wolves: Turbo Edition featuring the Wolves out of their element faced with a deadly mystery and a terrible conspiracy i...
www.backerkit.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Hey.... check this out
Reposted by Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
PAGERS, my one-page TTRPG book club, is currently nominating games for November!
This month's theme is "FALL"
Join us!
discord.gg/z2uyRVuW2q
This month's theme is "FALL"
Join us!
discord.gg/z2uyRVuW2q
Join the PAGERS Discord Server!
A single page TTRPG book club. | 60 members
discord.gg
November 8, 2025 at 3:37 PM
PAGERS, my one-page TTRPG book club, is currently nominating games for November!
This month's theme is "FALL"
Join us!
discord.gg/z2uyRVuW2q
This month's theme is "FALL"
Join us!
discord.gg/z2uyRVuW2q
Reposted by Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
Finally grabbed my copy of Spine
really hoping to carve out time to play this weekend
really hoping to carve out time to play this weekend
SPINE is an intellectual game about its own medium. It resembles ergodic literature like Pale Fire. It pokes fun at academia. It has an audience.
It's been called "the best solo game I’ve ever played" and "my top five [solo games] of all time" by reviewers I respect!
It may not be for you.
It's been called "the best solo game I’ve ever played" and "my top five [solo games] of all time" by reviewers I respect!
It may not be for you.
I Read Spine
I Read Games reviews are me reading games when I have nothing better to do, like read a module or write or play a game. I don’t seriously believe that I can judge a game without playing it, usually…
idlecartulary.com
November 8, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Finally grabbed my copy of Spine
really hoping to carve out time to play this weekend
really hoping to carve out time to play this weekend
This is my first (sort of) negative review of SPINE, but I sincerely appreciate that they don't say "This game is bad!" They say that it's not for them, respectfully.
No game can be for everyone, nor should it be. That's important. Sometimes reviewers forget that. Sometimes designers forget that. 🧵
No game can be for everyone, nor should it be. That's important. Sometimes reviewers forget that. Sometimes designers forget that. 🧵
This is not a knock against @backwardsttrpg.bsky.social game SPINE but frankly this book makes me feel stupid and gives me headaches. Its super creative, worth checking out, but I don't think its my sort of game terminallynerdy.substack.com/p/my-solo-rp...
My Solo RPG Journey: My Thoughts on SPINE
This ain't an overview or review, but some general thoughts on the highly creative game SPINE
terminallynerdy.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 3:17 PM
This is my first (sort of) negative review of SPINE, but I sincerely appreciate that they don't say "This game is bad!" They say that it's not for them, respectfully.
No game can be for everyone, nor should it be. That's important. Sometimes reviewers forget that. Sometimes designers forget that. 🧵
No game can be for everyone, nor should it be. That's important. Sometimes reviewers forget that. Sometimes designers forget that. 🧵
Reposted by Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
A little drivetime listening for ya, starring yours truly.
Wrapping up the Dice Exploder series on actual play with a game where, to me, actual play functions almost as a game mechanic: @kenlowery.bsky.social talks Void 1680 AM community broadcasts, and how even just the idea of putting your solo gameplay in front of an audience changes how it feels to play
Actual Play: Void 1680 AM Community Broadcasts (with Ken Lowery) — Dice Exploder
To close out this miniseries on actual play, I wanted to feature a game that I think uses actual play as a game mechanic. Hear me out. Void 1680 AM is a solo playlist-building game in which you create...
www.diceexploder.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:00 PM
A little drivetime listening for ya, starring yours truly.
Reposted by Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
I had a few extra proofs of SPINE, so I found a few Little Free Libraries in the area and dropped them off. I'm hopeful that whoever picks them up will pass them along as well.
One day, I'd like to send a few batches to folks I know in major cities (U.S.-only, likely) and have them do the same.
One day, I'd like to send a few batches to folks I know in major cities (U.S.-only, likely) and have them do the same.
November 7, 2025 at 2:55 AM
I had a few extra proofs of SPINE, so I found a few Little Free Libraries in the area and dropped them off. I'm hopeful that whoever picks them up will pass them along as well.
One day, I'd like to send a few batches to folks I know in major cities (U.S.-only, likely) and have them do the same.
One day, I'd like to send a few batches to folks I know in major cities (U.S.-only, likely) and have them do the same.
Reposted by Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
This is your evening (my time) plug for Heart of Glass. Check it out!
Heart of Glass went live on Backerkit today. Get the compelling mystery for Street Wolves or as a system agnostic version. Plus there's audio logs and previous Street Wolves books available at discounted prices!
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/t...
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/t...
Heart of Glass: A Street Wolves Mystery
The Street Wolves are back in Heart of Glass, an adventure supplement for Street Wolves: Turbo Edition featuring the Wolves out of their element faced with a deadly mystery and a terrible conspiracy i...
www.backerkit.com
November 5, 2025 at 11:21 PM
This is your evening (my time) plug for Heart of Glass. Check it out!
Clayton's recent article on this was great, and I appreciate that this is an opportunity for folks to ask questions and/or get more of a deep dive.
I'm joining Ryan over on The Weekly Scroll to talk about the dos and don'ts of self-promotion and marketing. Leave us some questions in the comments!
And join us this Friday at 1 pm EST or 10 am PST.
And join us this Friday at 1 pm EST or 10 am PST.
Following up on his wonderful article linked below, Clayton will be joining me on Friday to discuss promotion and marketing in tabletop games. We'll be hitting a variety of topics but if you have any questions let us know in the comments!
Join us live Friday at 10am pst
twitch.tv/theweeklyscroll
Join us live Friday at 10am pst
twitch.tv/theweeklyscroll
November 5, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Clayton's recent article on this was great, and I appreciate that this is an opportunity for folks to ask questions and/or get more of a deep dive.
Reposted by Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
Wrapping up the Dice Exploder series on actual play with a game where, to me, actual play functions almost as a game mechanic: @kenlowery.bsky.social talks Void 1680 AM community broadcasts, and how even just the idea of putting your solo gameplay in front of an audience changes how it feels to play
Actual Play: Void 1680 AM Community Broadcasts (with Ken Lowery) — Dice Exploder
To close out this miniseries on actual play, I wanted to feature a game that I think uses actual play as a game mechanic. Hear me out. Void 1680 AM is a solo playlist-building game in which you create...
www.diceexploder.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Wrapping up the Dice Exploder series on actual play with a game where, to me, actual play functions almost as a game mechanic: @kenlowery.bsky.social talks Void 1680 AM community broadcasts, and how even just the idea of putting your solo gameplay in front of an audience changes how it feels to play
Reposted by Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
Massive thanks to @aavoigt.bsky.social for recording an audiobook version for An Altogether Different River, which you can now find on its itch page here (ehronlime.itch.io/an-altogethe...), for the TTRPG Tools Jam (itch.io/jam/ttrpg-to...). Aaron did a great job with it!
Audiobook Version Now Available
Thanks so much to Aaron Voigt ( https://aavoigt.com/) for recording an audiobook version of the game for the TTRPG Tools Jam ( https://itch.io/jam/ttrpg-tools-jam). There are individual sound files fo...
ehronlime.itch.io
November 4, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Massive thanks to @aavoigt.bsky.social for recording an audiobook version for An Altogether Different River, which you can now find on its itch page here (ehronlime.itch.io/an-altogethe...), for the TTRPG Tools Jam (itch.io/jam/ttrpg-to...). Aaron did a great job with it!
Reposted by Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
Yaaaay my submission to the TTRPG Tools Jam is now live! We’ve been trying to make accessible audiobooks over on @chimerahearts.com for a few months now and we’re starting to get the hang of it. Very happy to narrate one of my favorite worldbuilding games
Massive thanks to @aavoigt.bsky.social for recording an audiobook version for An Altogether Different River, which you can now find on its itch page here (ehronlime.itch.io/an-altogethe...), for the TTRPG Tools Jam (itch.io/jam/ttrpg-to...). Aaron did a great job with it!
Audiobook Version Now Available
Thanks so much to Aaron Voigt ( https://aavoigt.com/) for recording an audiobook version of the game for the TTRPG Tools Jam ( https://itch.io/jam/ttrpg-tools-jam). There are individual sound files fo...
ehronlime.itch.io
November 4, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Yaaaay my submission to the TTRPG Tools Jam is now live! We’ve been trying to make accessible audiobooks over on @chimerahearts.com for a few months now and we’re starting to get the hang of it. Very happy to narrate one of my favorite worldbuilding games
Reposted by Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
I've been glad to hear that folks have enjoyed this interview. My favorite parts, personally, were Thomas's questions about the differences between solo RPGs and puzzles. And I have been thinking about these questions nonstop since the interview.
I really enjoyed the latest episode of Yes Indie'd from @newmadras.bsky.social interviewing @backwardsttrpg.bsky.social
The conversation on anchors was particularly interesting, I think it's a good framework to look at ttrpg mechanics through
pca.st/episode/77d2...
The conversation on anchors was particularly interesting, I think it's a good framework to look at ttrpg mechanics through
pca.st/episode/77d2...
Solo Bookplay (w/ Asa Donald)
pca.st
November 4, 2025 at 2:57 AM
I've been glad to hear that folks have enjoyed this interview. My favorite parts, personally, were Thomas's questions about the differences between solo RPGs and puzzles. And I have been thinking about these questions nonstop since the interview.
I've been glad to hear that folks have enjoyed this interview. My favorite parts, personally, were Thomas's questions about the differences between solo RPGs and puzzles. And I have been thinking about these questions nonstop since the interview.
I really enjoyed the latest episode of Yes Indie'd from @newmadras.bsky.social interviewing @backwardsttrpg.bsky.social
The conversation on anchors was particularly interesting, I think it's a good framework to look at ttrpg mechanics through
pca.st/episode/77d2...
The conversation on anchors was particularly interesting, I think it's a good framework to look at ttrpg mechanics through
pca.st/episode/77d2...
Solo Bookplay (w/ Asa Donald)
pca.st
November 4, 2025 at 2:57 AM
I've been glad to hear that folks have enjoyed this interview. My favorite parts, personally, were Thomas's questions about the differences between solo RPGs and puzzles. And I have been thinking about these questions nonstop since the interview.
Reposted by Asa Donald | Backwards Tabletop
I really enjoyed the latest episode of Yes Indie'd from @newmadras.bsky.social interviewing @backwardsttrpg.bsky.social
The conversation on anchors was particularly interesting, I think it's a good framework to look at ttrpg mechanics through
pca.st/episode/77d2...
The conversation on anchors was particularly interesting, I think it's a good framework to look at ttrpg mechanics through
pca.st/episode/77d2...
Solo Bookplay (w/ Asa Donald)
pca.st
November 3, 2025 at 4:34 PM
I really enjoyed the latest episode of Yes Indie'd from @newmadras.bsky.social interviewing @backwardsttrpg.bsky.social
The conversation on anchors was particularly interesting, I think it's a good framework to look at ttrpg mechanics through
pca.st/episode/77d2...
The conversation on anchors was particularly interesting, I think it's a good framework to look at ttrpg mechanics through
pca.st/episode/77d2...