Josh D | Vaulted Pyramid
@unenthuser.bsky.social
He/They | Engineer by day, TTRPG Writer & Designer by night | Liminal Horror | Afterthought Committee | occasional actual play host | I dev edit too | Unenthuser.itch.io
Pinned
If you are a writer, artist, editor, or designer in the TTRPG scene that is LGBTQ+ or a POC, please send me your portfolios/resumes and rates. This isn’t for a specific project, but I have some opportunities for paid work coming up and my goal is always to have a diverse project team where possible.
Public Access spawned one of my favorite RPG campaigns of all time. I’ve been champing at the bit for the physical version, so I’m happy it’s finally coming.
Happy Monday!
Public Access is coming to Kickstarter in March, and it would help us a lot if you signed up for prelaunch!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/gau...
Please repost!
Public Access is coming to Kickstarter in March, and it would help us a lot if you signed up for prelaunch!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/gau...
Please repost!
February 9, 2026 at 5:42 PM
Public Access spawned one of my favorite RPG campaigns of all time. I’ve been champing at the bit for the physical version, so I’m happy it’s finally coming.
Since the digital baseline price is 50% of physical, for every PDF I sell I make about $17.50. To make the same amount of money, I would need to raise my digital price to be about 65% of the physical (~$32.50). Thats not unreasonable, but it’s still more than the market currently supports.
February 9, 2026 at 2:31 PM
Since the digital baseline price is 50% of physical, for every PDF I sell I make about $17.50. To make the same amount of money, I would need to raise my digital price to be about 65% of the physical (~$32.50). Thats not unreasonable, but it’s still more than the market currently supports.
If we look at the retail model, the physical retailer takes about a 50% cut while the digital retailer takes about a 30% cut. So for every physical book I sell, I make about $21.50.
February 9, 2026 at 2:31 PM
If we look at the retail model, the physical retailer takes about a 50% cut while the digital retailer takes about a 30% cut. So for every physical book I sell, I make about $21.50.
Every PDF that is then sold under that $43 mark is undervalued respective to its physical counterpart. However, the market currently demands that PDFs are sold at about 50% of the physical. So even if I’m selling them directly, I’m making less off of them.
February 9, 2026 at 2:31 PM
Every PDF that is then sold under that $43 mark is undervalued respective to its physical counterpart. However, the market currently demands that PDFs are sold at about 50% of the physical. So even if I’m selling them directly, I’m making less off of them.
Let’s start with the direct-to-consumer model, where I have the greatest control over the product. In that case, for every hardcover I sell, I make about $43. That right there becomes the baseline “worth” of the PDF. But the consumer by and large refuses to pay that due to a perceived lesser value.
February 9, 2026 at 2:31 PM
Let’s start with the direct-to-consumer model, where I have the greatest control over the product. In that case, for every hardcover I sell, I make about $43. That right there becomes the baseline “worth” of the PDF. But the consumer by and large refuses to pay that due to a perceived lesser value.
Let’s say I have a 300 page hardcover book that I’m selling for $50. To have that printed and shipped to me, it’s about $7/ea right now if I’ve got an order of at least 1,000. I’m going to ignore various considerations here to keep the numbers round.
February 9, 2026 at 2:31 PM
Let’s say I have a 300 page hardcover book that I’m selling for $50. To have that printed and shipped to me, it’s about $7/ea right now if I’ve got an order of at least 1,000. I’m going to ignore various considerations here to keep the numbers round.
It costs about $8-$10mil for a 30 second ad during the Super Bowl. So if you’re a company that’s willing to spend that kind of cash, why the fuck then would you use your slot for dogshit AI that makes your product look terrible?????????
February 9, 2026 at 6:19 AM
It costs about $8-$10mil for a 30 second ad during the Super Bowl. So if you’re a company that’s willing to spend that kind of cash, why the fuck then would you use your slot for dogshit AI that makes your product look terrible?????????
I’ve been mulling over ideas for a “business card dungeon” for like 6 months and the thought to make it folded never crossed my mind. Good shit here.
February 9, 2026 at 3:31 AM
I’ve been mulling over ideas for a “business card dungeon” for like 6 months and the thought to make it folded never crossed my mind. Good shit here.
Even if we factor in those initial printing and shipping costs, you're only looking at about another 10% difference, which does vary depending on scale and type of product. But the more units you can afford to produce, the cheaper the per unit cost becomes.
February 8, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Even if we factor in those initial printing and shipping costs, you're only looking at about another 10% difference, which does vary depending on scale and type of product. But the more units you can afford to produce, the cheaper the per unit cost becomes.
DriveThruRPG takes a 30% cut, as you've said. With the nice round numbers, that would mean digital copies should only be about 20% less than their physical counterparts, but the market currently doesn't accept that, which is the root of the problem I've identified here.
February 8, 2026 at 11:58 PM
DriveThruRPG takes a 30% cut, as you've said. With the nice round numbers, that would mean digital copies should only be about 20% less than their physical counterparts, but the market currently doesn't accept that, which is the root of the problem I've identified here.
After costs are recouped, the revenue split is usually 50/50. The additional shipping costs to send the units out are paid directly by the consumer and any additional handling costs not covered under those fees come out of the publisher's 50% share as their standard operating costs.
February 8, 2026 at 11:58 PM
After costs are recouped, the revenue split is usually 50/50. The additional shipping costs to send the units out are paid directly by the consumer and any additional handling costs not covered under those fees come out of the publisher's 50% share as their standard operating costs.
Under normal circumstances, those are the costs I would have been paying anyway, so the publisher covering it doesn't change anything. I could print, sell wholesale, and double handle, which drives up the costs of course, but those are messy details not suited for the limitations of a thread here.
February 8, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Under normal circumstances, those are the costs I would have been paying anyway, so the publisher covering it doesn't change anything. I could print, sell wholesale, and double handle, which drives up the costs of course, but those are messy details not suited for the limitations of a thread here.
So when I work with a publisher or storefront, and I've worked with several, the typical process is that I provide them a completed file, they pay for the printing and shipping directly to their warehouse, and those costs are then deducted from the revenue until it's paid off.
February 8, 2026 at 11:58 PM
So when I work with a publisher or storefront, and I've worked with several, the typical process is that I provide them a completed file, they pay for the printing and shipping directly to their warehouse, and those costs are then deducted from the revenue until it's paid off.
But beyond personal preference, that perceived additional worth of that book in your hand is only the worth of the paper its printed on, and that ain't much.
February 8, 2026 at 7:02 PM
But beyond personal preference, that perceived additional worth of that book in your hand is only the worth of the paper its printed on, and that ain't much.
Where physical production is tricky is that you need that cash up front. You can space out the costs of art and editing over a longer production period or through profit sharing, but when it comes time to print you need that sum of money on hand. That's where pre-orders generally come into play.
February 8, 2026 at 7:02 PM
Where physical production is tricky is that you need that cash up front. You can space out the costs of art and editing over a longer production period or through profit sharing, but when it comes time to print you need that sum of money on hand. That's where pre-orders generally come into play.
I can go on Mixam right now and get 100 copies of a 40 page zine printed for like $1.50 each. Let's say I spent about $2k on art and editing, not even counting for my time writing and doing layout. For those 100 zines, the per unit cost would be $20 (assuming no further prints).
February 8, 2026 at 7:02 PM
I can go on Mixam right now and get 100 copies of a 40 page zine printed for like $1.50 each. Let's say I spent about $2k on art and editing, not even counting for my time writing and doing layout. For those 100 zines, the per unit cost would be $20 (assuming no further prints).
I desperately need people to understand that when it comes to video games and TTRPGs, the per unit production costs of a physical product are effectively negligible when compared to the cost needed to produce the digital product. PDFs and digital games are disproportionately under valued.
February 8, 2026 at 7:02 PM
I desperately need people to understand that when it comes to video games and TTRPGs, the per unit production costs of a physical product are effectively negligible when compared to the cost needed to produce the digital product. PDFs and digital games are disproportionately under valued.
Clive Barker I’m sorry, I was not familiar with your game.
February 6, 2026 at 6:11 PM
Clive Barker I’m sorry, I was not familiar with your game.
Perpetually stuck between David Lynch’s “let the art do the talking” and never wanting to shut the fuck up.
February 6, 2026 at 4:23 PM
Perpetually stuck between David Lynch’s “let the art do the talking” and never wanting to shut the fuck up.
The Muppets returned to television and I finally remembered what joy felt like again. It's fleeting, as they may not pick up the show for a full season, but it was there!
February 5, 2026 at 4:40 AM
The Muppets returned to television and I finally remembered what joy felt like again. It's fleeting, as they may not pick up the show for a full season, but it was there!
Reposted by Josh D | Vaulted Pyramid
if you are working on something for Zine Month & need a little spot art for your zine i have SO MUCH
available here:https://www.patreon.com/cw/ABestiaryandCompleteWorldAtlas
or: comradery.co/amandalee
available here:https://www.patreon.com/cw/ABestiaryandCompleteWorldAtlas
or: comradery.co/amandalee
Amanda Lee Franck
Amanda Lee Franck - A Bestiary and Complete World Atlas
comradery.co
February 4, 2026 at 11:06 PM
if you are working on something for Zine Month & need a little spot art for your zine i have SO MUCH
available here:https://www.patreon.com/cw/ABestiaryandCompleteWorldAtlas
or: comradery.co/amandalee
available here:https://www.patreon.com/cw/ABestiaryandCompleteWorldAtlas
or: comradery.co/amandalee
Reposted by Josh D | Vaulted Pyramid
If Bethesda won’t shadow drop a fallout remaster the least we can do in the Liminal Horror camp is shadow drop the full Deluxe Edition pdf preview of the book.
All that is left is annotations, linking, final maps and final edits.
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/s...
All that is left is annotations, linking, final maps and final edits.
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/s...
Liminal Horror Deluxe Edition Project Update: Deluxe Edition PREVIEW
I don’t know about you but it doesn’t seem like Bethesda is going to shadow drop any Fallout remasters… but to make myself feel better why don’t we put something even cooler...
www.backerkit.com
February 3, 2026 at 10:51 PM
If Bethesda won’t shadow drop a fallout remaster the least we can do in the Liminal Horror camp is shadow drop the full Deluxe Edition pdf preview of the book.
All that is left is annotations, linking, final maps and final edits.
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/s...
All that is left is annotations, linking, final maps and final edits.
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/s...
I think I deserve to be a Fortnite character. I don't even care about the game, but I just feel it in my bones.
February 4, 2026 at 1:12 AM
I think I deserve to be a Fortnite character. I don't even care about the game, but I just feel it in my bones.
Reposted by Josh D | Vaulted Pyramid
Interesting thought from an architecture book: Floor plans are great for conveying organization, flow, and arrangement, but sections or "cross-sections" are better for conveying space, scale, and feel.
This is why I think many Mausritter maps benefit from being sections, and OSE maps floor plans.
This is why I think many Mausritter maps benefit from being sections, and OSE maps floor plans.
February 3, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Interesting thought from an architecture book: Floor plans are great for conveying organization, flow, and arrangement, but sections or "cross-sections" are better for conveying space, scale, and feel.
This is why I think many Mausritter maps benefit from being sections, and OSE maps floor plans.
This is why I think many Mausritter maps benefit from being sections, and OSE maps floor plans.
I feel like Necronautilus would also make for a good base framework for this.
February 3, 2026 at 12:58 AM
I feel like Necronautilus would also make for a good base framework for this.