Tony Dowler
@tonydowler.bsky.social
An artist and writer living in Seattle. I make games and maps.
Pinned
Anyone recommend a Substack that’s about surviving and thriving the apocalypse? I’ve got plenty telling me it’s here, but they’re a little thin on what to do.
January 18, 2026 at 12:19 AM
Anyone recommend a Substack that’s about surviving and thriving the apocalypse? I’ve got plenty telling me it’s here, but they’re a little thin on what to do.
Reposted by Tony Dowler
Hello Wanderer!
I've a new #ZineMonth project coming up!
💙📚The Wanderer's Bookshop📚💙
is a cosy solo* bookshop simulator #ttrpg where you collect stories, read books and find your “white whale”.
Launching February 2nd on 💥Zinetopia 2026 (Backerkit)
tinyurl.com/BookshopRPG
🌈📚 🏳️🌈📚🎧 🧣📚
I've a new #ZineMonth project coming up!
💙📚The Wanderer's Bookshop📚💙
is a cosy solo* bookshop simulator #ttrpg where you collect stories, read books and find your “white whale”.
Launching February 2nd on 💥Zinetopia 2026 (Backerkit)
tinyurl.com/BookshopRPG
🌈📚 🏳️🌈📚🎧 🧣📚
Get lost and find The Wanderer's Bookshop
From Johnson OFair - Get lost and find The Wanderer's Bookshop
tinyurl.com
January 3, 2026 at 9:53 PM
Hello Wanderer!
I've a new #ZineMonth project coming up!
💙📚The Wanderer's Bookshop📚💙
is a cosy solo* bookshop simulator #ttrpg where you collect stories, read books and find your “white whale”.
Launching February 2nd on 💥Zinetopia 2026 (Backerkit)
tinyurl.com/BookshopRPG
🌈📚 🏳️🌈📚🎧 🧣📚
I've a new #ZineMonth project coming up!
💙📚The Wanderer's Bookshop📚💙
is a cosy solo* bookshop simulator #ttrpg where you collect stories, read books and find your “white whale”.
Launching February 2nd on 💥Zinetopia 2026 (Backerkit)
tinyurl.com/BookshopRPG
🌈📚 🏳️🌈📚🎧 🧣📚
Reposted by Tony Dowler
#CommissionsOpen - In need of some stuff for a project or whatever? Want a crazy person who has too many thoughts to help you out? Want to pay me up front rather than way down the line like some people?
Take a good look. $300 bucks get you 1k Words + 3 character spot pieces + 1 map; no AI or shit.
Take a good look. $300 bucks get you 1k Words + 3 character spot pieces + 1 map; no AI or shit.
June 15, 2025 at 11:28 PM
#CommissionsOpen - In need of some stuff for a project or whatever? Want a crazy person who has too many thoughts to help you out? Want to pay me up front rather than way down the line like some people?
Take a good look. $300 bucks get you 1k Words + 3 character spot pieces + 1 map; no AI or shit.
Take a good look. $300 bucks get you 1k Words + 3 character spot pieces + 1 map; no AI or shit.
Reposted by Tony Dowler
Hello new folks, My Name is Richard
I am manifold, like warped stained glass in an abandoned grey stone church
Other than being cryptic I am a writer, coordinator, and art director at Adventure Noises
I am making my own anti-colonial ttrpg, The Banishing! my-name-is-richard.itch.io/thebanishing
I am manifold, like warped stained glass in an abandoned grey stone church
Other than being cryptic I am a writer, coordinator, and art director at Adventure Noises
I am making my own anti-colonial ttrpg, The Banishing! my-name-is-richard.itch.io/thebanishing
The Banishing by My Name is Richard
A ttrpg about reclaiming a culture denied to you by a society of monsters, while walking a path of your own choosing.
my-name-is-richard.itch.io
October 17, 2024 at 4:00 PM
Hello new folks, My Name is Richard
I am manifold, like warped stained glass in an abandoned grey stone church
Other than being cryptic I am a writer, coordinator, and art director at Adventure Noises
I am making my own anti-colonial ttrpg, The Banishing! my-name-is-richard.itch.io/thebanishing
I am manifold, like warped stained glass in an abandoned grey stone church
Other than being cryptic I am a writer, coordinator, and art director at Adventure Noises
I am making my own anti-colonial ttrpg, The Banishing! my-name-is-richard.itch.io/thebanishing
So what is this #Tavernsworn thing I keep talking about?
Tavernsworn is an experimental way of using Ironsworn to play the story of a character who founds a tavern in a fantasy world: Legends and Lattes, The Wandering Inn, The Bear, but also Dwarf Fortress and a touch of Blades in the Dark. 🧵1
Tavernsworn is an experimental way of using Ironsworn to play the story of a character who founds a tavern in a fantasy world: Legends and Lattes, The Wandering Inn, The Bear, but also Dwarf Fortress and a touch of Blades in the Dark. 🧵1
January 12, 2026 at 6:42 PM
So what is this #Tavernsworn thing I keep talking about?
Tavernsworn is an experimental way of using Ironsworn to play the story of a character who founds a tavern in a fantasy world: Legends and Lattes, The Wandering Inn, The Bear, but also Dwarf Fortress and a touch of Blades in the Dark. 🧵1
Tavernsworn is an experimental way of using Ironsworn to play the story of a character who founds a tavern in a fantasy world: Legends and Lattes, The Wandering Inn, The Bear, but also Dwarf Fortress and a touch of Blades in the Dark. 🧵1
Reposted by Tony Dowler
Hey Josh, what's THE CASTLE AUTOMATIC like?
It's like this, friend. It's like this.
It's like this, friend. It's like this.
January 11, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Hey Josh, what's THE CASTLE AUTOMATIC like?
It's like this, friend. It's like this.
It's like this, friend. It's like this.
In my Ironsworn game about a struggling inn on the borderlands, the innkeeper is trying to attract adventurers to make ends meet…
January 10, 2026 at 11:25 PM
In my Ironsworn game about a struggling inn on the borderlands, the innkeeper is trying to attract adventurers to make ends meet…
Why is the Home Depot app asking for permission to connect to my daughter‘s iPad? Just send me the effing toilet that I ordered!
January 5, 2026 at 2:07 AM
Why is the Home Depot app asking for permission to connect to my daughter‘s iPad? Just send me the effing toilet that I ordered!
I am writing so much this week! I guess I needed a week and a half off just to reactivite my writing muscles.
January 3, 2026 at 3:42 AM
I am writing so much this week! I guess I needed a week and a half off just to reactivite my writing muscles.
Idea of the day--a faction game for tracking adventuring parties in the environs of a local adventuring guild; something the vein of the faction game for Stars without Number, a bit of gameplay, some worldbuilding, interesting seeds, all that.
December 25, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Idea of the day--a faction game for tracking adventuring parties in the environs of a local adventuring guild; something the vein of the faction game for Stars without Number, a bit of gameplay, some worldbuilding, interesting seeds, all that.
Prediction. Nothing changes; it all happens again.
NEWS: The DNC is killing off its 2024 autopsy.
DNC Chairman Ken Martin has decided not to publish a public report, believing that a backward-looking document would be counterproductive as the party has started winning.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/u...
DNC Chairman Ken Martin has decided not to publish a public report, believing that a backward-looking document would be counterproductive as the party has started winning.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/u...
The D.N.C. Is Killing Its Autopsy of What Went Wrong in 2024
www.nytimes.com
December 21, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Prediction. Nothing changes; it all happens again.
Reposted by Tony Dowler
Forged in the Dark innovators thread! Who's doing cool new stuff with the FitD model? (promote your own or someone else's).
I'll start: Slugblaster, by @wilkiescandylab.com is a smart hack of the core systems, tweaked in just the right way to fit the more light-hearted adventure style of the game.
I'll start: Slugblaster, by @wilkiescandylab.com is a smart hack of the core systems, tweaked in just the right way to fit the more light-hearted adventure style of the game.
December 20, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Forged in the Dark innovators thread! Who's doing cool new stuff with the FitD model? (promote your own or someone else's).
I'll start: Slugblaster, by @wilkiescandylab.com is a smart hack of the core systems, tweaked in just the right way to fit the more light-hearted adventure style of the game.
I'll start: Slugblaster, by @wilkiescandylab.com is a smart hack of the core systems, tweaked in just the right way to fit the more light-hearted adventure style of the game.
I have been so fortunate to have regular gaming friends. Nevertheless, I see this happening all around me. Loneliness slowly kills you, and escaping it can be a long project.
open.substack.com/pub/thinking...
open.substack.com/pub/thinking...
The Empty Garage
Middle-aged men are lonelier than ever while their wives thrive socially. The gap isn't a character flaw, it's what men were never taught. Here's how to rebuild.
open.substack.com
December 20, 2025 at 6:56 PM
I have been so fortunate to have regular gaming friends. Nevertheless, I see this happening all around me. Loneliness slowly kills you, and escaping it can be a long project.
open.substack.com/pub/thinking...
open.substack.com/pub/thinking...
Reposted by Tony Dowler
What are the practical steps of getting an RPG book printed? I pull back the curtain on the process and share my current progress in this blog post.
The Lifecycle of RPG Publishing
As I've mentioned before on this blog, I'm currently doing a preorder campaign instead of a "traditional" crowdfunding campaign for my first...
riseupcomus.blogspot.com
December 19, 2025 at 1:03 PM
What are the practical steps of getting an RPG book printed? I pull back the curtain on the process and share my current progress in this blog post.
Reposted by Tony Dowler
The name "Popular Science" doesn't mean we shift our coverage depending on public opinion. It means we cover relevant subjects that are rigorously researched, reliable, and grounded in reality.
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
First-of-a-kind study shows encouraging data for trans kids who socially transition
Ninety-four percent of participants in a new study stood firm in their trans identity after five years, and "detransitioning" is rare.
www.popsci.com
December 18, 2025 at 5:16 PM
The name "Popular Science" doesn't mean we shift our coverage depending on public opinion. It means we cover relevant subjects that are rigorously researched, reliable, and grounded in reality.
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
Reposted by Tony Dowler
Something I love on the GM-facing map from Guy Pradel (@pradaldi.bsky.social) are the hand icons that show how rooms connect.
Secret doors are marked with an S.
Trap doors are marked with a T.
Learn more about this sprawling dungeon here: www.exaltedfuneral.com/products/his...
Secret doors are marked with an S.
Trap doors are marked with a T.
Learn more about this sprawling dungeon here: www.exaltedfuneral.com/products/his...
December 20, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Something I love on the GM-facing map from Guy Pradel (@pradaldi.bsky.social) are the hand icons that show how rooms connect.
Secret doors are marked with an S.
Trap doors are marked with a T.
Learn more about this sprawling dungeon here: www.exaltedfuneral.com/products/his...
Secret doors are marked with an S.
Trap doors are marked with a T.
Learn more about this sprawling dungeon here: www.exaltedfuneral.com/products/his...
I love drawing skeletons #taverncore
December 20, 2025 at 5:54 PM
I love drawing skeletons #taverncore
Reposted by Tony Dowler
DAY 10, GAME 2: I’ve been playing How to Host a Dungeon by @tonydowler.bsky.social for years, and I still love crafting new side views of dungeons and seeing what creatures and stories populate them. A great game of simple scribbling. tonydowler.itch.io/how-to-host-...
December 19, 2025 at 6:35 PM
DAY 10, GAME 2: I’ve been playing How to Host a Dungeon by @tonydowler.bsky.social for years, and I still love crafting new side views of dungeons and seeing what creatures and stories populate them. A great game of simple scribbling. tonydowler.itch.io/how-to-host-...
OK, let me just conspiracy theory at you for a moment about why I had such a hard time buying Season 38 of the Amazing Race on Amazon last week. 1/
December 15, 2025 at 4:36 PM
OK, let me just conspiracy theory at you for a moment about why I had such a hard time buying Season 38 of the Amazing Race on Amazon last week. 1/
The targetting of innocent civilians from a sinking vessel in 1918 played a key role in Canada joining the call for international prosecution of war crimes. open.substack.com/pub/charliea...
December 6, 2025 at 4:32 AM
The targetting of innocent civilians from a sinking vessel in 1918 played a key role in Canada joining the call for international prosecution of war crimes. open.substack.com/pub/charliea...
Enshittification.
I want to give Amazon money to buy a season of my favorite reality TV show. They will sell me single episodes only AND I can't buy the finale. I have to purchase a Paramount subscription to get it.
Unbelievably shitty way to treat a customer, and the absolute last straw.
I want to give Amazon money to buy a season of my favorite reality TV show. They will sell me single episodes only AND I can't buy the finale. I have to purchase a Paramount subscription to get it.
Unbelievably shitty way to treat a customer, and the absolute last straw.
December 4, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Enshittification.
I want to give Amazon money to buy a season of my favorite reality TV show. They will sell me single episodes only AND I can't buy the finale. I have to purchase a Paramount subscription to get it.
Unbelievably shitty way to treat a customer, and the absolute last straw.
I want to give Amazon money to buy a season of my favorite reality TV show. They will sell me single episodes only AND I can't buy the finale. I have to purchase a Paramount subscription to get it.
Unbelievably shitty way to treat a customer, and the absolute last straw.
An ancient shelter carved in rock with potent wards of protection and hospitality, variously a temple, commune, hideout, and bordello. Now a rather shabby but spacious Inn for travelers and outcasts. #WIP #solo-ttrpg
November 29, 2025 at 5:20 PM
An ancient shelter carved in rock with potent wards of protection and hospitality, variously a temple, commune, hideout, and bordello. Now a rather shabby but spacious Inn for travelers and outcasts. #WIP #solo-ttrpg
Reposted by Tony Dowler
It's Itch Creator Day.
I'm running a sale: itch.io/s/170833/bla...
#ttrpg #stockart #bsnm #creatorday #indierpg
I'm running a sale: itch.io/s/170833/bla...
#ttrpg #stockart #bsnm #creatorday #indierpg
November 28, 2025 at 12:50 PM
It's Itch Creator Day.
I'm running a sale: itch.io/s/170833/bla...
#ttrpg #stockart #bsnm #creatorday #indierpg
I'm running a sale: itch.io/s/170833/bla...
#ttrpg #stockart #bsnm #creatorday #indierpg