directsun
@directsun.bsky.social
Mr. Puzzle Dungeon. Author of Aberrant Reflections and The Seers Sanctum. Currently working on: A Familiar Tower. Mid-life time achievement Carnie Award winner. 🎉
Reposted by directsun
A tale of playtesting and how you don’t really know what mechanics work until you bring ones that don’t work to your table, maybe more than once
Playtest Early, Playtest Often — Prismatic Wasteland
To design a game, you have to break a few eggs and discard some rules or completely rewrite them. But you won’t know what to discard and what to rewrite until you feed those eggs to your players.
www.prismaticwasteland.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:08 PM
A tale of playtesting and how you don’t really know what mechanics work until you bring ones that don’t work to your table, maybe more than once
Reposted by directsun
I'm excited to announce the Fang Dungeon Bestiary, with 36 fun illustrated monsters and new random tables to freshen up your no-prep dungeon crawls for Fängelsehåla!
Please follow along and share with your communities! 🙏
www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...
Please follow along and share with your communities! 🙏
www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...
Get Ready for the Fang Dungeon Bestiary
From Dieku Games - Get Ready for the Fang Dungeon Bestiary
www.backerkit.com
January 13, 2026 at 4:40 PM
I'm excited to announce the Fang Dungeon Bestiary, with 36 fun illustrated monsters and new random tables to freshen up your no-prep dungeon crawls for Fängelsehåla!
Please follow along and share with your communities! 🙏
www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...
Please follow along and share with your communities! 🙏
www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...
Reposted by directsun
Hello #portfolioday I'm Skullboy. I'm a fantasy illustrator and I do a lot of work in #ttrpgs
January 13, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Hello #portfolioday I'm Skullboy. I'm a fantasy illustrator and I do a lot of work in #ttrpgs
Reposted by directsun
Zine Month is upon us! While several crowdfunding companies have their own Zine Month initiatives (Zine Quest, ZineTopia, Tabletop Nonstop, etc)
Zine Month belongs to the community
It's a celebration of RPG zine culture & indie creators
It's by us & for us
So how do you participate in ZiMo?
1/5
Zine Month belongs to the community
It's a celebration of RPG zine culture & indie creators
It's by us & for us
So how do you participate in ZiMo?
1/5
January 12, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Zine Month is upon us! While several crowdfunding companies have their own Zine Month initiatives (Zine Quest, ZineTopia, Tabletop Nonstop, etc)
Zine Month belongs to the community
It's a celebration of RPG zine culture & indie creators
It's by us & for us
So how do you participate in ZiMo?
1/5
Zine Month belongs to the community
It's a celebration of RPG zine culture & indie creators
It's by us & for us
So how do you participate in ZiMo?
1/5
Reposted by directsun
Join us Tuesday night at 8p for our State of Zine Month from organizers @feralcharlie.bsky.social & Tony from @plusoneexp.bsky.social!
twitch.tv/tonyplusone
#ZiMo #Zimo26 #ZineQuest #ZineTopia #TTRPGs
twitch.tv/tonyplusone
#ZiMo #Zimo26 #ZineQuest #ZineTopia #TTRPGs
January 12, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Join us Tuesday night at 8p for our State of Zine Month from organizers @feralcharlie.bsky.social & Tony from @plusoneexp.bsky.social!
twitch.tv/tonyplusone
#ZiMo #Zimo26 #ZineQuest #ZineTopia #TTRPGs
twitch.tv/tonyplusone
#ZiMo #Zimo26 #ZineQuest #ZineTopia #TTRPGs
Solid newsletter list full of great ideas here.
A short but sweet post this week. Next week's article is a semi-sequel to my 1 HP Dragon post from last year.
www.explorersdesign.com/top-5-newsle...
www.explorersdesign.com/top-5-newsle...
My 5 Favorite RPG Newsletters
Forget the algorithms. We've got people to show us the rpg blogosphere.
www.explorersdesign.com
January 13, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Solid newsletter list full of great ideas here.
Reposted by directsun
My daily Bloggies picks (13):
@goblinpunch.bsky.social encourages you to write your own dungeon. we should be empowering people to create. ideally a game system already gives you that confidence, but if not, maybe this post will
goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2025/08/a-du...
@goblinpunch.bsky.social encourages you to write your own dungeon. we should be empowering people to create. ideally a game system already gives you that confidence, but if not, maybe this post will
goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2025/08/a-du...
A Dungeon of Your Own
Have you written your own dungeon? Everyone should write a dungeon at least once. You'll be able to write stuff that you like, and stuff th...
goblinpunch.blogspot.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:45 PM
My daily Bloggies picks (13):
@goblinpunch.bsky.social encourages you to write your own dungeon. we should be empowering people to create. ideally a game system already gives you that confidence, but if not, maybe this post will
goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2025/08/a-du...
@goblinpunch.bsky.social encourages you to write your own dungeon. we should be empowering people to create. ideally a game system already gives you that confidence, but if not, maybe this post will
goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2025/08/a-du...
We got inside out dragons and a heap of fleshy fun! Feedback for RESERVOIR by Cameron Maas. The amazing Ben Laurence joins me in the workshop.
@cameronmaas.bsky.social @benlaurence.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkuJ...
@cameronmaas.bsky.social @benlaurence.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkuJ...
RESERVOIR by Cameron Maas w/ guest Ben Laurence
YouTube video by Direct Sun
www.youtube.com
January 13, 2026 at 2:11 PM
We got inside out dragons and a heap of fleshy fun! Feedback for RESERVOIR by Cameron Maas. The amazing Ben Laurence joins me in the workshop.
@cameronmaas.bsky.social @benlaurence.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkuJ...
@cameronmaas.bsky.social @benlaurence.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkuJ...
Reposted by directsun
This week in the Bathtub, we’re entering a multidimensional labyrinth on the back of a dragonfly, in search for nukes: It’s Mana Meltdown! idlecartulary.com/2026/01/12/b...
Bathtub Review: Mana Meltdown
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
January 12, 2026 at 10:37 AM
This week in the Bathtub, we’re entering a multidimensional labyrinth on the back of a dragonfly, in search for nukes: It’s Mana Meltdown! idlecartulary.com/2026/01/12/b...
Reposted by directsun
January 11, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Reposted by directsun
January 12, 2026 at 2:02 PM
Find the familiar! Cross section by the amazing @betterlegends.bsky.social for "A Familiar Tower".
January 7, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Find the familiar! Cross section by the amazing @betterlegends.bsky.social for "A Familiar Tower".
Reposted by directsun
I wrote about the four main types of play environment in D&D: settlements, strongholds, dungeons, & monster lairs, the play experience provided by each, & how each exists on a gradient of complexity & agency which allows the scope of the campaign to grow alongside the player characters' abilities.
Play Environments, Power, Complexity, and Agency in D&D
Location types exist in close proximity to one another but serve very different gameplay functions. There are basically four main location t...
forlornencystment.blogspot.com
January 7, 2026 at 3:48 PM
I wrote about the four main types of play environment in D&D: settlements, strongholds, dungeons, & monster lairs, the play experience provided by each, & how each exists on a gradient of complexity & agency which allows the scope of the campaign to grow alongside the player characters' abilities.
Great way to catch up with some awesome ideas.
The blog says "4-minute read." That's a lie. Here's every finalist from the past three years of The Bloggies.
www.explorersdesign.com/the-bloggies...
www.explorersdesign.com/the-bloggies...
The Bloggies Hall of Fame
Every winner of The Bloggies from 2022 to 2025. Want to melt your rpg brain? Start here.
www.explorersdesign.com
January 6, 2026 at 5:28 PM
Great way to catch up with some awesome ideas.
Reposted by directsun
January 6, 2026 at 4:41 PM
A musical puzzle dungeon workshop. Joseph R. Lewis helps me give feedback on Titansflute by Alex Niederberger. Thanks for your time! @josephrlewis.bsky.social
youtu.be/vfNkwV_cjqE
youtu.be/vfNkwV_cjqE
Joseph R. Lewis helps me give feedback on Titansflute
YouTube video by Direct Sun
youtu.be
January 6, 2026 at 1:50 PM
A musical puzzle dungeon workshop. Joseph R. Lewis helps me give feedback on Titansflute by Alex Niederberger. Thanks for your time! @josephrlewis.bsky.social
youtu.be/vfNkwV_cjqE
youtu.be/vfNkwV_cjqE
Reposted by directsun
BEHOLD: 60 festive hexes for your next Christmastime campaign from a variety of your favorite bloggers. Go give them a read and steal the best bits for your games
#osr #ttrpg
#osr #ttrpg
The Rankin Bass Hexmas Crawl — Prismatic Wasteland
A Christmas-themed hexcrawl setting with 60 hexes written from bloggers across the blogosphere.
www.prismaticwasteland.com
January 6, 2026 at 1:38 PM
Reposted by directsun
Check out my new #Shadowdark adventure: House of the Wasp!
Delve into a samurai castle in search of weapons, training, and intrigue!
#osr #ttrpg
www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...
Delve into a samurai castle in search of weapons, training, and intrigue!
#osr #ttrpg
www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...
January 5, 2026 at 9:20 PM
Check out my new #Shadowdark adventure: House of the Wasp!
Delve into a samurai castle in search of weapons, training, and intrigue!
#osr #ttrpg
www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...
Delve into a samurai castle in search of weapons, training, and intrigue!
#osr #ttrpg
www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...
Reposted by directsun
This Yuletide, I was lucky enough to jump on a blogging bandwagon with some folks. I was so impressed with some of these entries. And Kati and others did the hard work of organizing all the entries and making this hexmap!
RELEASE: The complete #hexmas map is now available for you to peruse! Download the pdf version to see all the bloggers who contributed to this awesome blogwagon by @prismaticwasteland.com.
#blog #ttrpg #bloggers #blogosphere
bakenshake09.itch.io/hexmas-map-2...
#blog #ttrpg #bloggers #blogosphere
bakenshake09.itch.io/hexmas-map-2...
Hexmas Map 2025 by Bakenshake
A hexcrawl of all the hexes created by Bloggers for Hexmas 2025
bakenshake09.itch.io
January 5, 2026 at 8:12 PM
This Yuletide, I was lucky enough to jump on a blogging bandwagon with some folks. I was so impressed with some of these entries. And Kati and others did the hard work of organizing all the entries and making this hexmap!
Reposted by directsun
Between Two Cairns is organizing an RPG convention. Won’t you come?
Between Two Cons ticket sign-ups are officially open!
Where: Norse Hall, Portland, Oregon
When: June 26th & 27th, 2026
Event submissions are also open; sign-ups for events will open in February. We're also taking vendor and sponsorship applications at this time!
tabletop.events/conventions/...
Where: Norse Hall, Portland, Oregon
When: June 26th & 27th, 2026
Event submissions are also open; sign-ups for events will open in February. We're also taking vendor and sponsorship applications at this time!
tabletop.events/conventions/...
Between Two Cairns
tabletop.events
January 5, 2026 at 2:39 PM
Between Two Cairns is organizing an RPG convention. Won’t you come?
Absolute banger of a video.
* Dungeons with identity
* Items that recontextualize the world
* Pressure driving exploration
Baby, you got a stew going.
youtu.be/QkmJQmxVy2s?...
* Dungeons with identity
* Items that recontextualize the world
* Pressure driving exploration
Baby, you got a stew going.
youtu.be/QkmJQmxVy2s?...
A Link to the Past Solved Problems Modern Zelda Still Struggles With
YouTube video by Triforce Times
youtu.be
January 5, 2026 at 3:55 AM
Absolute banger of a video.
* Dungeons with identity
* Items that recontextualize the world
* Pressure driving exploration
Baby, you got a stew going.
youtu.be/QkmJQmxVy2s?...
* Dungeons with identity
* Items that recontextualize the world
* Pressure driving exploration
Baby, you got a stew going.
youtu.be/QkmJQmxVy2s?...
Reposted by directsun
If you have a spare $1 a month (budgets are tight so I would not assume anyone does honestly), I have a Patreon where I post early blogposts and early PDFs of my games. Also occasionally some exclusive stuff like this little retrospective.
2025 Retrospective | Prismatic Wasteland
Get more from Prismatic Wasteland on Patreon
www.patreon.com
January 2, 2026 at 4:11 PM
If you have a spare $1 a month (budgets are tight so I would not assume anyone does honestly), I have a Patreon where I post early blogposts and early PDFs of my games. Also occasionally some exclusive stuff like this little retrospective.
Reposted by directsun
Last of my Kala Mandala adventurer team illustrations.
Welcoming 2026 with the tenacity displayed by this party!
Welcoming 2026 with the tenacity displayed by this party!
January 2, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Last of my Kala Mandala adventurer team illustrations.
Welcoming 2026 with the tenacity displayed by this party!
Welcoming 2026 with the tenacity displayed by this party!
Reposted by directsun
Submit your best rpg blog posts to the bloggies! Especially if they weren't dungeon-game related, I'd love to see more cross-pollination between scenes this round.
The Bloggies 2026 submissions are now open!
Submit your favorite posts, series, and debut blogs via the official Bloggies page between now and Jan 31st!
Please share this around. I'll be making regular Bloggies-themed announcements throughout the month.
www.explorersdesign.com/bloggies-2026/
Submit your favorite posts, series, and debut blogs via the official Bloggies page between now and Jan 31st!
Please share this around. I'll be making regular Bloggies-themed announcements throughout the month.
www.explorersdesign.com/bloggies-2026/
The Bloggies 2026
A yearly celebration of blogging in tabletop roleplaying games.
www.explorersdesign.com
January 1, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Submit your best rpg blog posts to the bloggies! Especially if they weren't dungeon-game related, I'd love to see more cross-pollination between scenes this round.
Reposted by directsun
YEAST GHOULS
@bradkerr.net and I made another short adventure pamphlet. This one is called YEAST GHOULS! It will be available to buy in a while (not sure when, ask Brad) but you (yes you!) can get it RIGHT NOW by joining patreon.com/skullfungus. Cool huh?
January 1, 2026 at 6:18 PM
YEAST GHOULS