Prismatic Wasteland
@prismaticwasteland.com
3x Ennie-winning TTRPG designer
My blog: https://www.prismaticwasteland.com
My games in print: https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/shop
My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PrismaticWasteland
My blog: https://www.prismaticwasteland.com
My games in print: https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/shop
My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PrismaticWasteland
Pinned
Prismatic Wasteland
prismaticwasteland.com
I’m W.F. Smith, tabletop RPG designer and blogger at Prismatic Wasteland, best known for Barkeep on the Borderlands, a pubcrawl fantasy adventure.
⬇️ for my top blogposts, my published adventures, and where you can find me other than my blog, prismaticwasteland.com
⬇️ for my top blogposts, my published adventures, and where you can find me other than my blog, prismaticwasteland.com
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
My first RPG pub is for sale now! just in time for #ZineMonth
130 even-level Feats. 135 Quirks. Grounded options for Shadowdark that give characters texture and teeth. May your PCs be unique before they die.
www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...
130 even-level Feats. 135 Quirks. Grounded options for Shadowdark that give characters texture and teeth. May your PCs be unique before they die.
www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...
Shadowfeats: OSR Feats and Quirks for Shadowdark - Dream Shrike Press | DriveThruRPG
Add Depth, Danger, and Flavor to Your Shadowdark Characters
Shadowdark’s advancement rules already give you a rich mix of rolled talents and bonuses as you level, but what if you want even more ways t...
www.drivethrurpg.com
February 10, 2026 at 4:30 AM
My first RPG pub is for sale now! just in time for #ZineMonth
130 even-level Feats. 135 Quirks. Grounded options for Shadowdark that give characters texture and teeth. May your PCs be unique before they die.
www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...
130 even-level Feats. 135 Quirks. Grounded options for Shadowdark that give characters texture and teeth. May your PCs be unique before they die.
www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
Attack every part of the character sheet, even your name and character portrait.
Damage Tokens - This Vorpal Coil
Mausritter is a fantastic game – very few get as close as it does to the Platonic ideal of a post-OSR ruleset, covering so much ground yet remaining so brief. While most of it essentially reimplements...
vorpalcoil.bttg.net
February 9, 2026 at 4:13 PM
Attack every part of the character sheet, even your name and character portrait.
If you want to catch up on all the best #ttrpg or #osr blog posts from 2025, get thee hence to the link below and start reading! Every single post is a gem. All killer, no filler and congrats to my fellow nominees
The Bloggies Nominees are here!
We are 1 week away from voting, so I need everyone's help spreading the word. Congrats to all the nominees and blogs submitted—this last year was incredible. Forming the lists was equal parts rewarding and painful.
www.explorersdesign.com/this-years-b...
We are 1 week away from voting, so I need everyone's help spreading the word. Congrats to all the nominees and blogs submitted—this last year was incredible. Forming the lists was equal parts rewarding and painful.
www.explorersdesign.com/this-years-b...
This year's Bloggies Nominees
Over 90+ blog posts. And a surprise category for 2026.
www.explorersdesign.com
February 9, 2026 at 3:51 PM
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
The Bloggies Nominees are here!
We are 1 week away from voting, so I need everyone's help spreading the word. Congrats to all the nominees and blogs submitted—this last year was incredible. Forming the lists was equal parts rewarding and painful.
www.explorersdesign.com/this-years-b...
We are 1 week away from voting, so I need everyone's help spreading the word. Congrats to all the nominees and blogs submitted—this last year was incredible. Forming the lists was equal parts rewarding and painful.
www.explorersdesign.com/this-years-b...
This year's Bloggies Nominees
Over 90+ blog posts. And a surprise category for 2026.
www.explorersdesign.com
February 9, 2026 at 3:41 PM
The Bloggies Nominees are here!
We are 1 week away from voting, so I need everyone's help spreading the word. Congrats to all the nominees and blogs submitted—this last year was incredible. Forming the lists was equal parts rewarding and painful.
www.explorersdesign.com/this-years-b...
We are 1 week away from voting, so I need everyone's help spreading the word. Congrats to all the nominees and blogs submitted—this last year was incredible. Forming the lists was equal parts rewarding and painful.
www.explorersdesign.com/this-years-b...
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
Map dungeons with this warioware-style minigame.
#OSR #TTRPG
bommyknocker.bearblog.dev/another-gimm...
#OSR #TTRPG
bommyknocker.bearblog.dev/another-gimm...
Another gimmick
Make mapping fun by making it your players' problem
bommyknocker.bearblog.dev
February 8, 2026 at 1:23 PM
Map dungeons with this warioware-style minigame.
#OSR #TTRPG
bommyknocker.bearblog.dev/another-gimm...
#OSR #TTRPG
bommyknocker.bearblog.dev/another-gimm...
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
Continuing to work through the implications of this deep dive the other week. In this one, I posit a framework for managing the reputation of a state entity or other powerful patron. #osr #ttrpg
tbr.bearblog.dev/a-reputation...
tbr.bearblog.dev/a-reputation...
A Reputation System for Surveyors
This post was originally titled "A Lightweight Reputation System" and it turned out to be truly anything but. .
I've been sharpening up the major gamepla...
tbr.bearblog.dev
February 7, 2026 at 8:13 PM
Continuing to work through the implications of this deep dive the other week. In this one, I posit a framework for managing the reputation of a state entity or other powerful patron. #osr #ttrpg
tbr.bearblog.dev/a-reputation...
tbr.bearblog.dev/a-reputation...
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
From the brilliant mind of Magnolia Keep comes some ways I like to spice up pointcrawls!
magnoliakeep.blogspot.com/2026/02/basi...
magnoliakeep.blogspot.com/2026/02/basi...
Basic Terrain for Pointcrawls
Lots of digital ink has been spilled on the merits of hexcrawls and pointcrawls (though I think Dinkie Rizzle has the right of it ), and so...
magnoliakeep.blogspot.com
February 7, 2026 at 4:37 PM
From the brilliant mind of Magnolia Keep comes some ways I like to spice up pointcrawls!
magnoliakeep.blogspot.com/2026/02/basi...
magnoliakeep.blogspot.com/2026/02/basi...
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
I spent a lot of time thinking about mental models and GMing. One of the underlying models I use is what I call a narrative framework.
www.thenovelgamemaster.com/2026/02/narr...
www.thenovelgamemaster.com/2026/02/narr...
Narrative Frameworks in TTRPGs
One of the most essential tools I employ when game mastering, both in prep and play, is what I call a narrative framework . This is my term ...
www.thenovelgamemaster.com
February 7, 2026 at 7:23 PM
I spent a lot of time thinking about mental models and GMing. One of the underlying models I use is what I call a narrative framework.
www.thenovelgamemaster.com/2026/02/narr...
www.thenovelgamemaster.com/2026/02/narr...
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
Shoutouts to @prismaticwasteland.com for hosting the bandwagon, @amandalee.bsky.social for making the map, and @davidblandyrpgs.bsky.social for Eco Mofos. I love being part of this little community of weirdos making stuff for each other.
February 8, 2026 at 2:02 AM
Shoutouts to @prismaticwasteland.com for hosting the bandwagon, @amandalee.bsky.social for making the map, and @davidblandyrpgs.bsky.social for Eco Mofos. I love being part of this little community of weirdos making stuff for each other.
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
Childhood Appendix N thoughts - geographic constriction, lack of access to old stuff and just less new stuff in general meant there was a more common set of shared references when & where I started
seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2026/02/chil...
#ttrpg #dnd #osr
seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2026/02/chil...
#ttrpg #dnd #osr
Childhood inspirations from a time of shared references
For the 'childhood inspirations' blogwagon that Havoc kicked off - I wrote mine last September - because I cheated by starting at 12 so my ...
seedofworlds.blogspot.com
February 7, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Childhood Appendix N thoughts - geographic constriction, lack of access to old stuff and just less new stuff in general meant there was a more common set of shared references when & where I started
seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2026/02/chil...
#ttrpg #dnd #osr
seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2026/02/chil...
#ttrpg #dnd #osr
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
Shouting this out again because I’m having so much fun keying this map today.
Join the bandwagon!
Join the bandwagon!
All bloggers are hereby cordially invited to participate in a new blog bandwagon on the topic of MAPS, featuring art (which you can use, remix, distort as you see fit) from @amandalee.bsky.social (Garbage Barge, Vampire Cruise, et al)
You have 80 days starting now!
#osr #tttpg #blog
You have 80 days starting now!
#osr #tttpg #blog
Bandwagon: The Map is Not the Territory But It is the Topic — Prismatic Wasteland
Announcing a new blog bandwagon! This time you have 80 days in which to write something on your blog about maps and/or to annotate/remix/expand a map drawn by the esteemed Amanda Lee Franck!
www.prismaticwasteland.com
February 7, 2026 at 11:41 PM
Shouting this out again because I’m having so much fun keying this map today.
Join the bandwagon!
Join the bandwagon!
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
Hopping on the @prismaticwasteland.com bandwagon, since I just-so-happened to be working on this post when folks were invited to talk about maps. Here's the latest dev log for The One with the Horses, for 2d6 Sci-fi and Mothership! #ttrpg #osr
theweepingstag.wordpress.com/2026/02/07/b...
theweepingstag.wordpress.com/2026/02/07/b...
Creating a Dynamic City for Sci-Fi #3: Map thoughts and adventure dev log
Picture: Nancy Drew with a robot arm drinking whiskey. Everything in The One with the Horses is subject to change I’m hopping on Prismatic Wasteland’s map bandwagon with this dev log, a…
theweepingstag.wordpress.com
February 7, 2026 at 8:20 PM
Hopping on the @prismaticwasteland.com bandwagon, since I just-so-happened to be working on this post when folks were invited to talk about maps. Here's the latest dev log for The One with the Horses, for 2d6 Sci-fi and Mothership! #ttrpg #osr
theweepingstag.wordpress.com/2026/02/07/b...
theweepingstag.wordpress.com/2026/02/07/b...
The whole world is mausritter weapons for those with eyes to see them
February 7, 2026 at 2:01 PM
The whole world is mausritter weapons for those with eyes to see them
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
a response to the @rascal.news article on yazeba's bed & breakfast, clarifying some misunderstandings and (hopefully) providing a clearer explanation of what happened
possumcreek.medium.com/a-response-t...
possumcreek.medium.com/a-response-t...
February 7, 2026 at 1:49 PM
a response to the @rascal.news article on yazeba's bed & breakfast, clarifying some misunderstandings and (hopefully) providing a clearer explanation of what happened
possumcreek.medium.com/a-response-t...
possumcreek.medium.com/a-response-t...
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
All bloggers are hereby cordially invited to participate in a new blog bandwagon on the topic of MAPS, featuring art (which you can use, remix, distort as you see fit) from @amandalee.bsky.social (Garbage Barge, Vampire Cruise, et al)
You have 80 days starting now!
#osr #tttpg #blog
You have 80 days starting now!
#osr #tttpg #blog
Bandwagon: The Map is Not the Territory But It is the Topic — Prismatic Wasteland
Announcing a new blog bandwagon! This time you have 80 days in which to write something on your blog about maps and/or to annotate/remix/expand a map drawn by the esteemed Amanda Lee Franck!
www.prismaticwasteland.com
February 6, 2026 at 1:57 PM
All bloggers are hereby cordially invited to participate in a new blog bandwagon on the topic of MAPS, featuring art (which you can use, remix, distort as you see fit) from @amandalee.bsky.social (Garbage Barge, Vampire Cruise, et al)
You have 80 days starting now!
#osr #tttpg #blog
You have 80 days starting now!
#osr #tttpg #blog
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
I wrote about three times as much of Yazeba's as the other contractors combined, and have another title through PCG that SJG renegotiated — so my stake and losses are actually significantly greater than anyone Rascal quoted.
Neither the other contractors nor Rascal ever reached out to me.
Neither the other contractors nor Rascal ever reached out to me.
February 6, 2026 at 9:47 PM
I wrote about three times as much of Yazeba's as the other contractors combined, and have another title through PCG that SJG renegotiated — so my stake and losses are actually significantly greater than anyone Rascal quoted.
Neither the other contractors nor Rascal ever reached out to me.
Neither the other contractors nor Rascal ever reached out to me.
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
I made a mysterious map for everyone, please figure out what is going on here I have no idea!
(thanks @prismaticwasteland.com & all of you on the blog bandwagon I have been reading the entries for awhile & it is so great for finding new blogs to follow)
#ttrpg #osr #blog
(thanks @prismaticwasteland.com & all of you on the blog bandwagon I have been reading the entries for awhile & it is so great for finding new blogs to follow)
#ttrpg #osr #blog
All bloggers are hereby cordially invited to participate in a new blog bandwagon on the topic of MAPS, featuring art (which you can use, remix, distort as you see fit) from @amandalee.bsky.social (Garbage Barge, Vampire Cruise, et al)
You have 80 days starting now!
#osr #tttpg #blog
You have 80 days starting now!
#osr #tttpg #blog
Bandwagon: The Map is Not the Territory But It is the Topic — Prismatic Wasteland
Announcing a new blog bandwagon! This time you have 80 days in which to write something on your blog about maps and/or to annotate/remix/expand a map drawn by the esteemed Amanda Lee Franck!
www.prismaticwasteland.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:27 PM
I made a mysterious map for everyone, please figure out what is going on here I have no idea!
(thanks @prismaticwasteland.com & all of you on the blog bandwagon I have been reading the entries for awhile & it is so great for finding new blogs to follow)
#ttrpg #osr #blog
(thanks @prismaticwasteland.com & all of you on the blog bandwagon I have been reading the entries for awhile & it is so great for finding new blogs to follow)
#ttrpg #osr #blog
All bloggers are hereby cordially invited to participate in a new blog bandwagon on the topic of MAPS, featuring art (which you can use, remix, distort as you see fit) from @amandalee.bsky.social (Garbage Barge, Vampire Cruise, et al)
You have 80 days starting now!
#osr #tttpg #blog
You have 80 days starting now!
#osr #tttpg #blog
Bandwagon: The Map is Not the Territory But It is the Topic — Prismatic Wasteland
Announcing a new blog bandwagon! This time you have 80 days in which to write something on your blog about maps and/or to annotate/remix/expand a map drawn by the esteemed Amanda Lee Franck!
www.prismaticwasteland.com
February 6, 2026 at 1:57 PM
All bloggers are hereby cordially invited to participate in a new blog bandwagon on the topic of MAPS, featuring art (which you can use, remix, distort as you see fit) from @amandalee.bsky.social (Garbage Barge, Vampire Cruise, et al)
You have 80 days starting now!
#osr #tttpg #blog
You have 80 days starting now!
#osr #tttpg #blog
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
DQ&D is a game about getting into a knife fight and having everyone walk away unhappy. For fragmentary blog post #2 i'm telling you how to run those fights, which are secretly negotiations.
thegardenbelow.blot.im/dq-d-design-...
thegardenbelow.blot.im/dq-d-design-...
DQ&D Design Diary #2: Combat - The Garden Below
Rules for Combat in Dredge Quick and Drown
thegardenbelow.blot.im
February 6, 2026 at 1:11 AM
DQ&D is a game about getting into a knife fight and having everyone walk away unhappy. For fragmentary blog post #2 i'm telling you how to run those fights, which are secretly negotiations.
thegardenbelow.blot.im/dq-d-design-...
thegardenbelow.blot.im/dq-d-design-...
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
With the blessing of @chrispwolf.bsky.social I've started a reboot of his classic session report series Thursdays in Thracia! Stay tuned as we work our way through the module and I share my prep and thoughts on the classic dungeon and running a megadungeon in Shadowdark.
Thursdays in Thracia RELOADED Week 1
Caverns of Thracia Session 1 Recap and Notes
billhook.bearblog.dev
February 4, 2026 at 9:41 PM
With the blessing of @chrispwolf.bsky.social I've started a reboot of his classic session report series Thursdays in Thracia! Stay tuned as we work our way through the module and I share my prep and thoughts on the classic dungeon and running a megadungeon in Shadowdark.
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
I tried to wrap my head around the #AD&D domain game. How does it work? Is it worth using? What ideas can you steal for your next D&D-like game, & which should you leave in 1979? Plus, what does a character's inhabited domain eventually look like, & how big are those peasant uprisings exactly? #OSR
AD&D's Domain Game: What to Learn, What to Leave, and What to Love
I'm currently in the process of trying to puzzle out how exactly "territory development" (what we would now probably call the "domain game")...
forlornencystment.blogspot.com
February 4, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
This advice on how to restock your megadungeon (say, for HIS MAJESTY THE WORM) is great!
If I had one piece of advice more, it's this: save your old content.
I have a doc that's just previously-used Meatgrinder entries. After a year, what is old will be new again.
If I had one piece of advice more, it's this: save your old content.
I have a doc that's just previously-used Meatgrinder entries. After a year, what is old will be new again.
Megadungeon Restocking
Over on the His Majesty the Worm Discord, one of the perennial pairs of questions is:
1) How the hell do I restock effectively without wanting to die?...
tbr.bearblog.dev
February 4, 2026 at 1:19 PM
This advice on how to restock your megadungeon (say, for HIS MAJESTY THE WORM) is great!
If I had one piece of advice more, it's this: save your old content.
I have a doc that's just previously-used Meatgrinder entries. After a year, what is old will be new again.
If I had one piece of advice more, it's this: save your old content.
I have a doc that's just previously-used Meatgrinder entries. After a year, what is old will be new again.
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
Encounter Table as Ecology - very cool blogpost on a brand-new blog.
It's awesome to see an actual ecologist extending the ideas from my Write Encounters as Networks blogpost!
#osr #ttrpg
monstrouscompany.bearblog.dev/trophic-enco...
It's awesome to see an actual ecologist extending the ideas from my Write Encounters as Networks blogpost!
#osr #ttrpg
monstrouscompany.bearblog.dev/trophic-enco...
February 4, 2026 at 1:28 AM
Encounter Table as Ecology - very cool blogpost on a brand-new blog.
It's awesome to see an actual ecologist extending the ideas from my Write Encounters as Networks blogpost!
#osr #ttrpg
monstrouscompany.bearblog.dev/trophic-enco...
It's awesome to see an actual ecologist extending the ideas from my Write Encounters as Networks blogpost!
#osr #ttrpg
monstrouscompany.bearblog.dev/trophic-enco...
Reposted by Prismatic Wasteland
I'm joining the newsletter game. Don't ask me why! I'm not sure either. I just want to help more good blogs get found
elmc.at/catmail-1/
elmc.at/catmail-1/
CATMAIL #1
Look what the cat dragged in. Monthly project updates, plus curated blog posts and oddments worth your time.
elmc.at
February 3, 2026 at 6:25 PM
I'm joining the newsletter game. Don't ask me why! I'm not sure either. I just want to help more good blogs get found
elmc.at/catmail-1/
elmc.at/catmail-1/