elmcat
@elmc.at
📤 741
📥 413
📝 897
Blogging about TTRPGs among other things.
pinned post!
I fell hard for Mythic Bastionland this summer. Here's exactly how I prepped and ran it (plus a pile of resources). If you're asking "where do I start?", this is for you:
elmc.at/running-myth...
loading . . .
Running Mythic Bastionland
Run Mythic Bastionland with confidence: map creation, realm population, sparking conflict, Omens, Sites, calendars, and lightweight prep tools.
https://elmc.at/running-mythic-bastionland/
3 months ago
3
123
37
reposted by
elmcat
about 8 hours ago
Dungeon levels everywhere for those with eyes to see
1
8
2
reposted by
elmcat
Nick Lloyd
about 3 hours ago
The map in my original tweet shows the number of graves, not number of bodies. Andalucía, by some way, has the most in terms of victims. In mass graves as shown in this map or otherwise.
add a skeleton here at some point
2
100
89
Blogs from 2006 to 2025
loading . . .
about 11 hours ago
1
4
1
reposted by
elmcat
xaosseed
about 19 hours ago
Using
@elmc.at
blogosphere analysis to try and get a sense of blogging scene vibrancy tl;dr: based on community participation in jams and challenges and continued appearance of 'big idea' posts - blogosphere not dead yet.
seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2025/11/quer...
#dnd
#osr
#ttrpg
#blogs
#diyrpg
add a skeleton here at some point
0
9
4
reposted by
elmcat
alice
1 day ago
something i’ve always found somewhat whimsical about od&d is that due to how the encounter tables are set up, there is basically always a minimum 12.5% chance you run into a werewolf (well, lycanthropes generally).
4
18
7
reposted by
elmcat
New iteration of the Blogverse graph. Showing all time link connections. In case you are wondering Grognardia is the sun.
2 days ago
3
31
8
New iteration of the Blogverse graph. Showing all time link connections. In case you are wondering Grognardia is the sun.
2 days ago
3
31
8
reposted by
elmcat
ktrey
4 days ago
And it's finished! One Hundred
#over/under
Tables: A Prospero Potpourri
ktrey.itch.io/overunder-ta...
It was super fun to flex some of my old Cyberpunk/Sci-Fi muscles before they completely atrophied!
loading . . .
Over/Under Tables: A Prospero Potpourri by ktrey
100 Random Tables for Over/Under
https://ktrey.itch.io/overunder-tables-a-prospero-potpourri
3
46
15
reposted by
elmcat
Brooke Harrington
4 days ago
What the Epstein files show is the *solidarity* of many men-across class, race, religion, profession & party affiliation-in the global political project of keeping the boot on women's necks. People have no problem understanding class solidarity among the rich. Why can't they see gender solidarity?
add a skeleton here at some point
42
3434
1061
reposted by
elmcat
Spent the past week mining my RSS reader to map what I'm calling the "Blogverse" Still adding data and tuning the graph, but I'll share soon Early stats: 1027 blogs, 13393 links, 203918 posts - and counting
4 days ago
6
44
8
reposted by
elmcat
Rise Up Comus - 🔜PaxU
4 days ago
Galstaff, you have entered the door to the north... Here's 10 special doors that prompt OSR problem solving to put in your dungeon.
loading . . .
d10 Special Doors
Hookay, writing this blog post not because I have good ideas, but because I don't have any ideas. Bashing my head against a writing prompt i...
https://riseupcomus.blogspot.com/2025/11/d10-special-doors.html
3
63
8
reposted by
elmcat
Ty
4 days ago
I still regularly use my faction generator to spark ideas and think you might get some use out of it too. Check it out!
perchance.org/smoke-fuel-f...
loading . . .
smoke, fuel, & fire faction generator
https://perchance.org/smoke-fuel-fire
3
23
10
reposted by
elmcat
Bastionland Press
4 days ago
www.bastionland.com/2025/11/the-...
loading . . .
The Wheel
Starship crew refer to the reliably repetitive pattern of ship life as a rotating wheel with three handles. Transit, Dock, Layover, Transit,...
https://www.bastionland.com/2025/11/the-wheel.html
0
17
2
Spent the past week mining my RSS reader to map what I'm calling the "Blogverse" Still adding data and tuning the graph, but I'll share soon Early stats: 1027 blogs, 13393 links, 203918 posts - and counting
4 days ago
6
44
8
reposted by
elmcat
Rise Up Comus - 🔜PaxU
7 days ago
Some new (?) tech to track persistent states via random tables with memory. Like Ladder Tables, but simpler in execution. Behold, the Stepladder Table!
loading . . .
Stepladder Tables
I am not certain that I am the first to have this idea. In fact, I most certainly am not; there's nothing new under the sun (especially in R...
https://riseupcomus.blogspot.com/2025/11/stepladder-tables.html
8
64
16
reposted by
elmcat
A. Jordan DeWitt | Glue Trap Games
7 days ago
Did a little write up of my Feast for a Sphinx duet session:
discodanlives.bearblog.dev/a-feast-for-...
loading . . .
A Feast for a Sphinx 1-on-1 Play Report
Had a great time running <tab:https://evlyn.itch.io/a-feast-for-a-sphinx> one on one with my partner yesterday. He hasn't played a ton of tabletop, but he re...
https://discodanlives.bearblog.dev/a-feast-for-a-sphinx-1-on-1-play-report/
0
5
1
reposted by
elmcat
Molly Knight
10 days ago
oh my god they actually did it lmao
add a skeleton here at some point
649
19640
4173
reposted by
elmcat
Sam Long
10 days ago
loading . . .
Groundlings: Pikmin + Mausritter
Almost immediately after posting I got an idea on how to put Pikmin into Mausritter in a way that didn’t rewrite the whole game… make it a hireling funnel! ...
https://toucant.bearblog.dev/groundlings/
3
20
11
reposted by
elmcat
Marcia B.
12 days ago
i want to highlight some submissions to the
#icon0clasm
ball for fantastic medieval campaigns! thank you to everyone who has submitted so far, especially for developing such thoughtful and effortful works 😊 blog:
traversefantasy.blogspot.com/2025/11/gene...
itch:
itch.io/jam/icon0cla...
1
13
3
reposted by
elmcat
David Blandy makes games sometimes
about 2 months ago
🚨NEW WEIRD GAME KLAXXON🚨 ECO MOFOS sets sail!! Windwaker meets Waterworld in this rules light procedure-heavy TTRPG for solo and group play. Smash Corpo Schemes while discovering Monsters and Mecha lurking beneath the waves, guzzling ambergris to learn new spells.
tinyurl.com/yfryeat8
2
75
54
reposted by
elmcat
Sam Long
12 days ago
Heyy, I have a blog now!
loading . . .
PUT PIKMIN IN YOUR MAUSRITTER GAME YOU COWARDS
I figured I’d test out my new blog by reposting one of my favorite takes on with some quick art. Happy !...
https://toucant.bearblog.dev/put-pikmin-in-your-mausritter-game-you-cowards/
1
46
18
reposted by
elmcat
thicc husband and father
12 days ago
Cheney dead
32
3157
729
reposted by
elmcat
girl with the Jean Seberg hair
14 days ago
There is no world where I'm fine but other people are suffering and miserable. Even if we imagine I have no empathy or conscience, if I were smart, I'd know that other people having problems always causes for me. Every time. Guaranteed. Even if I only care about myself, helping others helps me.
0
10
4
reposted by
elmcat
girl with the Jean Seberg hair
14 days ago
The problem with Hard Men is that whenever it turns out that What Needs To Be Done is actually something soft and feminine like giving away free money to buy food, healthcare, housing, etc, the Hard Men simply refuse to Do it and start Hard planning human sacrifices instead.
2
74
17
reposted by
elmcat
Nothings Monstered
12 days ago
The lack of a "anti-Fox News" is not a story of market failure. Media plutocrats have chosen to leave money on the table because they don't want to support challenges to plutocracy.
add a skeleton here at some point
2
298
101
reposted by
elmcat
Thomas M, Full-time Rascal
12 days ago
I had a great time talking about Mythic Bastionland on the Smiling Fox podcast, which is a whole podcast just about that one game! I talked a lot about
@juddthelibrarian.bsky.social
's wonderful approach to running the game in a way that facilitated lots of great character drama.
1
37
5
reposted by
elmcat
snow
14 days ago
I posted this on Tumblr a few days ago:
www.tumblr.com/secretsnowcl...
loading . . .
Post by @secretsnowclub
💬 0 🔁 51 ❤️ 113 · TTRPG School: Required Reading · This is an alphabetical list of writing on tabletop games, video games, games broadly, and a few adjacent topics. It is required reading. I am n…
https://www.tumblr.com/secretsnowclub/798959843652304896/ttrpg-school-required-reading?source=share
1
14
2
reposted by
elmcat
Afraid of Encounters
12 days ago
A blogpost that I made out of pettiness. Gamemasters are Game Designers!
afraidofencounters.bearblog.dev/gamemasters-...
loading . . .
Gamemasters are Game Designers!
Yes. Tabletop RPG Gamemasters are Players as well. But they are also Game Designers. What made me to make this blogpost? Pettiness. Someone said that one ...
https://afraidofencounters.bearblog.dev/gamemasters-are-game-designers/
1
17
9
reposted by
elmcat
Justin McElroy
12 days ago
1
67
7
reposted by
elmcat
Tom Kilian
14 days ago
Why not start the domain game early with Medieval Farming Simulator? Costs are completely whacky due to the need to interact with B/X D&D's funny prices, but the flavor is mostly based on Frans Bengtsson's "The Long Ships," where Orm spends his adventuring gold on raising a hall.
loading . . .
The Sunbold Farm
EveningStardew Valley, more like One of the conditions for Trigg being allowed to marry Emelda was that he purchase a farmhouse for her to l...
https://houselesshills.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-sunbold-farm.html
2
18
4
reposted by
elmcat
Simone
12 days ago
meadowofthewitch-hares.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...
I've started a blog! My very first post is joining in the Hexmas Blogwagon by Prismatic Wasteland. (It is christmassy, in a catholic way, maybe not Rankin Bass-esque but it does have a headless cleric class to unlock, if you'll indulge me)
loading . . .
The Chapel of the Green - Hexmas Blogwagon 2025
I’ve been meaning to start a TTRPG blog for a while and the Hexmas Blogwagon from Prismatic Wasteland seemed as good an excuse as any. In s...
https://meadowofthewitch-hares.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-chapel-of-green-hexmas-blogwagon.html
2
11
6
reposted by
elmcat
just a gigantic spider
13 days ago
I'm here with a very exciting announcement: The Awards 2026 is happening! The SEO-friendly TTRPG awards show has had a refreshing year off and is back with a vengeance. To kick this off, take a look at the first Design Diary for The Awards 2026:
ttrpg-spider.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...
loading . . .
The Awards 2026 Design Diary #1
Inspired by Clayton Notestine's debrief on his participation in the 2025 Ennie Awards and Split/Party's "What awards do for us?" articl...
https://ttrpg-spider.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-awards-2026-design-diary-1.html
2
43
20
reposted by
elmcat
🎄 Fa-la-la-la-ladda 🎄
13 days ago
Blog Preview! Last Friday's Blogpost is finally done being edited (I say as if I'm not the one who was taking his time editing it) Patrons at the Dollar Tier or higher can give it a read early! Or Less Late, as the case happens to be. It's about Trains.
www.patreon.com/posts/blog-p...
loading . . .
Blog Preview - I Like Trains | Farmer Gadda
Get more from Farmer Gadda on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/posts/blog-preview-i-142766582
0
9
9
reposted by
elmcat
Magnolia Keep
13 days ago
From the brilliant mind of Magnolia Keep comes my entry to this year's Christmas Blog Bandwagon: An entry in a hex crawl inspired by Rankin/Bass! We've got orcs, we've got labor disputes, and boy howdy we've got pop culture references galore!
magnoliakeep.blogspot.com/2025/11/blog...
loading . . .
Blog Bandwagon: Orcish Toy Factory
Definitely a lawyer and allegedly a blogger Prismatic Wasteland has issued a new Blog Bandwagon wherein everyone comes up with a hex an...
https://magnoliakeep.blogspot.com/2025/11/blog-bandwagon-orcish-toy-factory.html
0
15
10
reposted by
elmcat
Prismatic Wasteland🔜PAXU
13 days ago
NEW BLOG BANDWAGON During this interregnum between High Halloween and Mighty Christmas, a call goes forth to all the world that bloggers shall band together to collectively create a hexcrawl across the blogosphere, themed around those hokey claymation Christmas specials of yore!
#osr
#rpg
#hexmas
loading . . .
Blogwagon Announcement: Merry Hexmas — Prismatic Wasteland
A new blog bandwagon where everyone writes a hex for a winter wonderland hexcrawl and posts it on their blog, linking to blogs that have adjacent hexes. This announcement has all the information you n...
https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/blogwagon-announcement-merry-hexmas
5
71
42
reposted by
elmcat
Isaac Williams
15 days ago
The Junk City map will be my magnum opus.
3
111
27
reposted by
elmcat
WiddershinsWanderings
14 days ago
The Better Legends RPG Preference Matrix has been making the rounds in some parts, so I thought it would be a fun lense to use to discuss Play Style Preferences. I'd love to see where everyone else falls in the various categories.
widdershinswanderings.bearblog.dev/playstyle-pr...
loading . . .
Play Style Preferences: The Hand You Are Dealt
A blog post talking about the benefits of embracing random character creation when playing Adventure games of the OSR play style.
https://widdershinswanderings.bearblog.dev/playstyle-preferences-1-character-creation/
6
28
12
reposted by
elmcat
Agreeable Chatter
14 days ago
Cooked up this harebrained idea while making holiday gifts! Curious if it's been done before.
tbr.bearblog.dev/objects-as-r...
loading . . .
Objects as Random Access Memory
This afternoon I was working on some Christmas gifts in my woodshop while listening to an episode of the Yes, Indie'd podcast with of Backwards Tabletop, ta...
https://tbr.bearblog.dev/objects-as-random-access-memory/
2
20
11
reposted by
elmcat
jay Dragon is recovering
15 days ago
a really interesting criticism of the expressionist games manifesto when i posted it was "in order to play like this, everyone at the table would need to be a game designer" which is ... 1. i'm a game designer. ofc that's how i'm gonna play 2. it's v easy to think like a game designer if u want to
7
164
17
reposted by
elmcat
Clayton
15 days ago
🎉 The Explorateur's Anniversary 🎉 My little community side project's still chugging along, and I'm happy to say, this month's issue's one of my favorites. Lots of great links, a new look, updated categories, and stats from last year's performance.
www.explorersdesign.com/explorateur-...
loading . . .
The Explorateur: Issue #13
Monthly design jams, critique, theory, and inspiration for tabletop rpg designers by rpg designers. Vetted. Looted. Curated.
https://www.explorersdesign.com/explorateur-13/
3
75
38
reposted by
elmcat
Amanda P. ➡️ PAXU
16 days ago
We finished mythic bastionland tonight. The Snare Knight
@naeolin.bsky.social
, Magpie Knight
@rrookstudio.bsky.social
, and Leaf Knight (Dan!) used a pack of wolves and other animals plus mental trickery to yell The Sun back into the sky to become the winter sun again.
#osr
1
30
7
reposted by
elmcat
Personable | Markus
15 days ago
New Carouse, Carouse! This time featuring, among other things, me writing about Over/Under, AI in games (not like that) from Patchwork Paladin, a review of Gorman's Larder by
@giantrobottackler.bsky.social
and a selection of blog posts, as always!
www.carouse.blog/november-202...
loading . . .
November 2025 - Jacked In
We're approaching the end of the year, and the northern hemisphere is getting properly gray and wet now (the perfect weather to stay in and play RPGs). Perhaps the southern contingent will play outsid...
https://www.carouse.blog/november-2025-jacked-in/
1
23
14
reposted by
elmcat
Mids Meinberg
16 days ago
Following up on my previous blog post, I dive into the Minimal and Maximal Players and how they can be used to help with TTRPG design.
goatsongrpg.wordpress.com/2025/10/30/t...
loading . . .
The Minimal and Maximal Players
In my last blog post (link), I discussed taking a formalist approach to The Rule Book. One of the ideas that I derived from the text was that of the Minimal and Maximal player, which I left unexpla…
https://goatsongrpg.wordpress.com/2025/10/30/the-minimal-and-maximal-players/
0
7
5
reposted by
elmcat
Prismatic Wasteland🔜PAXU
17 days ago
Concept: chess with literally no rules changes but every piece has an elaborate backstory that the player must read before play begins. Sure, it’s easy to sacrifice a faceless nameless pawn, but not so easy when you know about their life story and everything that got them to this war
14
123
22
reposted by
elmcat
Trying to shake the writing block, so I wrote up a tiny Mythic Bastionland hack: a quick Reputation roll I lifted from
@samseer.bsky.social
's Mothership house rule and tweaked slightly.
elmc.at/glory-as-rep...
loading . . .
Glory as Reputation
Use Glory as an instant reputation roll in Mythic Bastionland: who's heard of your Knight and how fame changes the world at the table.
https://elmc.at/glory-as-reputation/
20 days ago
1
17
7
reposted by
elmcat
🎄 Fa-la-la-la-ladda 🎄
20 days ago
ok here it is NEW BLOG POST! This is the first draft of a template for Sanic Hack prep that should make running the game's vibes easier! Or it won't, I'm not a Doctor. Static Site:
farmergadda.neocities.org/posts/themes...
Blogger Backup:
farmergadda.blogspot.com/2025/10/them...
loading . . .
Farmer Gadda's TTRPG Hayloft : Themes - Quicker Game Prep for The Sanic Hack
Preparing a world with mix and match lists
https://farmergadda.neocities.org/posts/themes-quicker-game-prep-for-the-sanic-hack/
0
9
6
reposted by
elmcat
Kati ➡️ PAXU
20 days ago
First of what I think will be many
#over/under
blogposts. This one is about how players have a lot more power than they may realize...
theplayreports.com/posts/over-u...
loading . . .
The Play Reports
Resources as Players - Over/Under
https://theplayreports.com/posts/over-under-part-1/
0
19
8
Trying to shake the writing block, so I wrote up a tiny Mythic Bastionland hack: a quick Reputation roll I lifted from
@samseer.bsky.social
's Mothership house rule and tweaked slightly.
elmc.at/glory-as-rep...
loading . . .
Glory as Reputation
Use Glory as an instant reputation roll in Mythic Bastionland: who's heard of your Knight and how fame changes the world at the table.
https://elmc.at/glory-as-reputation/
20 days ago
1
17
7
reposted by
elmcat
cavegirl
21 days ago
2
213
43
reposted by
elmcat
Loui Stonehill
22 days ago
"Under the guise of technological inevitability, companies are using the AI boom to rewrite the social contract — laying off employees, rehiring them at lower wages, intensifying workloads, and normalizing precarity. [...] AI is not the cause of the layoffs but their justification."
add a skeleton here at some point
2
540
266
Load more
feeds!
log in