Josh Fox Sends Players Into the Darkness of Ex Tenebris #ttrpg #dnd

Reposting for the Sunday crowd - check out our new #SciFi #ActualPlay of Ex Tenebris

As any fule kno, chainsaws are evergreen.

🎬 It's mystery in space time as we head to the stars with @armadajosh.bsky.social and @beckyannison.bsky.social in Ex Tenebris! What nefarious secrets await our interstellar investigators and how will they cope with with the revelations? Find out in our pacy Actual Play! youtu.be/aHiHuFXNFqg?...

Today is my birthday! I treated myself to covid & flu vaccines this morning and now I'm doing high level edits on all the writing I've been doing all week. If you want to help me celebrate 46 years around the sun then please share the Ex Tenebris kickstarter!

For their first project, my Kids and Society students have to create an infographic clarifying a common misconception about "kids these days." I'd prefer that they not use AI to create their projects, so I made my own infographic explaining why : )

The THANATURGE is a wielder of dark sorcerous powers. They deal with the tenebrium, with death and demons. Only carefully trained and sanctioned individuals can legally use thanaturgy, and of all the playbooks they're the most likely to get corrupted by shadow. ⤵️

It me… … in our current campaign of Ex Tenebris which you can hear on the Black Armada Tales actual play podcast!

The TECHNARCOLOGIST is an expert in dark technology and the occult. They might be an academic, explorer or a tomb robber, but they'll definitely be an obsessive investigator and, perhaps, collector of the weird artifacts found in Ex Tenebris. ⤵️

New episode of Black Armada Tales is out! A team of misfits trying to save the universe. Tamzi - murdered leader back from the dead Hamda - technarchologist braver than he prentends Galen - the tarnished badge mourning a dead wife Orion - sentient war machine learning how to be a person 1/3

Want to know more about the characters in Ex Tenebris? Look no further...

The latest in my blog series on emergent mystery GMing. This one is about discordant clues - no, NOT red herrings (boo!), but clues which complicate or contradict the players' theory. blackarmada.com/shaking-the-...

Open Hearth Podcast Ep 13: Ex Tenebris, Wise Women, Star Trek Adventures In this episode Host Lowell Francis talks with @beckyannison.bsky.social and @armadajosh.bsky.social of Black Armada games about what they've played, herbal witches, the final frontier, their KS for Ex Tenebris & more. #ttrpg

The TARNISHED BADGE is an ex-cop, bringing the tools of forensics and footslogging to supernatural investigation - not to mention using their old connections where needed. Often pursued by the ghosts of their former career. ⤵️

The STRATEGOS is a genius detective and strategist, their brain specially trained and enhanced with implants. They are always trying to see two steps ahead, and leading the effort to piece the truth behind the mystery together. ⤵️

WTF, my hot dog order contains... dry ice? I have to handle it with special gloves? On the one hand, this seems excessive - what was wrong with ice packs? On the other hand: damn cool. Well, damn cold.

I did a Q&A on Randomworlds with Dan Davenport, and it's now posted to his blog. Some more stuff here about the setting, tech and aliens in Ex Tenebris, amongst other things! gmshoe.wordpress.com/2025/09/21/q...

Want to know more about the characters in Ex Tenebris? Look no further...

The SHADOW WALKER is an enhanced spy and, perhaps, assassin. Armed with razor sharp social abilities and infiltration skills, they'll winkle the truth out through subterfuge if need be. You don't want to end up on the wrong end of their venom pistol. ⤵️

The SEER is a mysterious weaver of fate and dreams. They can literally walk into dreaming to uncover clues there, but more than that, they can peer into the depths of the tenebrium to see the past, the future, and things that may never come to pass. ⤵️

¡Para el turno de tarde! Repaso al sistema de Ex Tenebris y sus diferencias con los jueguitos de Jason Cordova. ✨ ¡En el último post del hilo tenéis el enlace al mecenazgo!

The RESURRECTED died, but they brought you back. You have one foot in the world of the living and one in the Tenebrium, with weird supernatural abilities and connections to the world of demons and death. Plus: you can investigate your own murder! ⤵️

The RELIC is an ancient war machine, built to destroy. They have been reawakened to serve Moira. They come bristling with weapon systems but perhaps the most interesting thing about them is their strange past. ⤵️

Let's talk about the character archetypes in Ex Tenebris! In Ex Ten you choose an Archetype, which is mostly skillset-based, and a Role, which is about your personality and how you fit into the team. I'll come back to Roles in a future post. ⤵️

I did a Q&A on Randomworlds with Dan Davenport, and it's now posted to his blog. Some more stuff here about the setting, tech and aliens in Ex Tenebris, amongst other things! gmshoe.wordpress.com/2025/09/21/q...

My stepmum has been living and working here for over 4 decades. She is still on indefinite leave to remain. Farage presumably wishes to see her deported. "Yes but she works, she's one of the good ones" they will say, racistly. But she is nearing retirement - will it be safe for her to stop working?

The REFORMED is a criminal, a villainous person who switched sides to help Moira. As well as having all the traditional cool criminal skills, a fun thing about the Reformed is that their flaws are all nice things: too merciful, not violent enough. ⤵️

The FALLEN ANGEL is a power-armoured soldier, geared up for war, bringing a discipline and tactical mindset to the investigation, and always ready for the final fight. They often carry the heaviest burden of trauma from their past career. ⤵️

The CONDUIT is enhanced with implants that connect them to technology, whether it's hacking into computers or expanding the investigation with spy drones. For those who like a bit of cyberpunk in their grimdark! ⤵️

NEW EPISODE ALERT

Fabulous interview and Q&A here with @jwmuk.bsky.social of the Raspy Raven - all about how to write scenarios for Ex Tenebris!

Let's talk about the character archetypes in Ex Tenebris! In Ex Ten you choose an Archetype, which is mostly skillset-based, and a Role, which is about your personality and how you fit into the team. I'll come back to Roles in a future post. ⤵️

And another! "It's the most dangerous show in space, as former T-drive pilots race each other in low gravity, ducking in and out of the Tenebrium. But when a plucky team of underdogs starts getting picked off one by one, it's up to the Guardians to uncover the truth of the Red Mantle."

Ex Tenebris scenario reveal! "Haute couture, unhinged parties, and murders spreading through dark rituals combining the textile arts with eldritch forces. A great opportunity for overworked, underdressed paranormal investigators." Love it - duelling fashion houses literally weaving occult rituals!

Fabulous interview and Q&A here with @jwmuk.bsky.social of the Raspy Raven - all about how to write scenarios for Ex Tenebris!

If you folks out there haven't heard of Ex Tenebris, could I convince you to take a moment and look at this gloomy monstrosity? There are so many cool people in its orbit now!

A Raspy Raven episode that goes deep into the dark heart of Ex Tenebris from @armadajosh.bsky.social & @beckyannison.bsky.social Kickstarting to 9/Oct - www.kickstarter.com/projects/bla... open.spotify.com/episode/0v9i... Please like and share and help out these wonderful indie RPG designers!

Ex Tenebris scenario reveal! "Haute couture, unhinged parties, and murders spreading through dark rituals combining the textile arts with eldritch forces. A great opportunity for overworked, underdressed paranormal investigators." Love it - duelling fashion houses literally weaving occult rituals!

Beware the gulls. Something everyone in Brighton knows, but we saw the true horror in The Siren’s Caw by (and with) @wharthur.bsky.social, a scenario for Lovecraftesque 2E by @armadajosh.bsky.social and @beckyannison.bsky.social.

*Takes deep breath, winds up:* Immortal: the invisible war! But also, for games that someone might still be able to buy, anything by @ickbat.bsky.social. It is funny to me how I mention Stealing The Throne in interviews almost as much as my own games!

The Happy Jacks Indie #ttrpg Designer of the Month for September is Black Armada Games! Black Armada team @beckyannison.bsky.social and @armadajosh.bsky.social are the award-winning designers of Lovecraftesque, Wreck This Deck, and many more. blackarmada.itch.io/ www.kickstarter.com/...

We are doing a live chat over on the Raspy Raven Discord with @jwmuk.bsky.social on Thursday 18th September at 7pm BST talking about how to write a scenario for Ex Tenebris. A link to join the discord is here if you fancy joining us.

I've written more about this on the Ex Tenebris Kickstarter page (free to read) and I'll be putting out some more articles about the mystery system in the coming weeks. www.kickstarter.com/projects/bla...

Oh also, I was on Yes Indie'd talking about some of this so check that out too! creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...

Ex Tenebris was featured on @wargamer.com! www.wargamer.com/ex-tenebris-...

Our latest AP episode of Ex Tenebris is up! It's a key moment as the team work towards their first Breakthrough Roll - pulling the evidence apart and building a theory. Plus: we discuss cruises and the weird stuff that can happen on them. creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...

Let's talk about the Ex Tenebris approach to mystery-building. Ex Ten is an evolution of the Brindlewood approach to mysteries, but where BB simulates a TV drama, Ex Ten simulates a traditional GMed investigation game, with innovations to achieve this that you can use in other mystery games. ⤵️

Let's talk about the Ex Tenebris approach to mystery-building. Ex Ten is an evolution of the Brindlewood approach to mysteries, but where BB simulates a TV drama, Ex Ten simulates a traditional GMed investigation game, with innovations to achieve this that you can use in other mystery games. ⤵️

20 #JDR auxquels je n'ai encore joué, mais qui font envie. Jour 15 : Ex Tenebris 💀☄️🌌 J'adore l'ambiance "space gothic grimdark", mais l'histoire de WH40 me laisse complètement de marbre. Un jeu "space gothic" d'enquête, motorisé par le système de "Brindelwood Bay", c'est franchement original.

New Bittercold update! We're funded, but not out of the woods yet: help us achieve our stretch goal of getting gorgeous art for the game from @phasemoth.bsky.social! www.kickstarter.com/projects/bis...